This playlist is an ode to the musicians and engineers who helped me make my new album Dreamin’ Of. I tried to keep it Dreamy!
For me music is a kind of lifeline. I still get really excited about songs. Songs with words. Songs without words. And after weaving all these songs together into a playlist I am more excited than ever by the convergence of expansive musicianship on this new album. I love the collectiveness of it all. Everyone gave so much of themselves.
I hope y’all have fun listening to these songs and learning more about all of these artists. And thank you to The Bluegrass Situation for the invite to make this playlist. I might not have done it otherwise! It was harder to do than I thought it would be – but mostly because I just wanted to keep adding more songs!
Offered now with love.
“Dreamin’ Of” – Pieta Brown (Dreamin’ Of)
“The war is never over… neither is my love…” For me, these two lines are at the heart of my new Dreamin’ Of album — some kind of endless searching for resilience in all its forms. This song definitely sparked the making of what has come to be a whole new album. This track feels like a real reflection of working with S. Carey and Mike Lewis as co-producers, and of working with engineer Brett Bullion who played a big part in how this album sounds and feels.
“There’s a Rhythm” – Bon Iver (Sable, fAble)
This song! I can’t seem to stop listening to it!!!!!! Half of my new Dreamin’ Of album was recorded in Mike Lewis’ basement with Mike and Sean (aka S. Carey). But we finished it out at April Base in Wisconsin — where I’ve made my last two albums, too, thanks to Justin Vernon’s beautiful and generous nature. I love April Base as a studio, but the land it sits on is also VERY powerful.
“Hypernuit” – Bertrand Belin (Hypernuit Deluxe Edition)
I met Paris-based songwriter/actor/composer Bertrand Belin through a film project based in Switzerland and France. We worked together in various ways on the project, including writing some songs for the film. As I started to get familiar with his music, I fell in love with it, and especially the Hypernuit album. Bertrand writes beautiful songs and sings them so beautifully, very much in his own way. He is also a great arranger and composer. Bertrand composed, arranged, and played the strings on the first song (called “Time of the Night”) on my new album. I couldn’t love it more. I listen to Bertrand’s music often!
“Have You Stopped to Notice” – S. Carey (Hundred Acres)
I first met Sean through the music scene in Minneapolis. I remember being very moved the first time I heard Sean singing some of his own songs in a room. I’m amazed somehow now to have worked with Sean on quite a few recordings. I’ve learned a lot from Sean about harmony and ways of trying things in the studio. He has such a gift for creating layers within a recording — layers that elevate the music without getting in the way of the song. His Hundred Acres album found me just before we started recording together for the first time, and it’s an album I still love listening to from start to finish. Musician and engineer Zach Hanson, who helped record some of the tracks for my new album, is a big part of Sean’s Hundred Acres album, too. “Have You Stopped to Notice” gets me every time!
“Prayer For Mim in the Color Marigold” – Liz Draper (Meno)
Though Liz doesn’t play on this new album of mine, Liz and I have worked on many music projects together in recent years—including quite a few duo shows. Playing live is an essential part of writing and recording songs for me. Working with Liz in recent years has helped me tap further into my love of the experimental side of making music; this “inward opening” definitely affected how I approached making my new album. I love this piece of Liz’s — “Prayer For Mim in the Color Marigold.”
“In the Age of the Pixel Phone” – Alpha Consumer (In the Age of the Pixel Phone EP)
When I was touring in Australia with one of my all-time favorite drummers, JT Bates, he told me one night about his band Alpha Consumer. I’ve been a fan ever since! Alpha Consumer is JT Bates, Mike Lewis, and Jeremy Ylvisaker. I don’t know if I would have even met Mike and Jeremy if not for JT. I do know music has led me to so many of my favorite people. Jeremy, JT, and Mike have played with too many musicians to name! I love hearing Jeremy fronting this band that I love, and I am honored that he brought some of his magic to my new album.
“Blue Earth” – Bo Ramsey (How Many Miles EP)
It is impossible to sum up the musical worlds I have shared with Bo. But one thing is for sure: Bo is one of my favorite musicians ever. His instrumental “Blue Earth” has influenced me in a myriad of ways many times over. The sounds and tones in his playing so often feel connected to something much bigger than all of us. I feel/hear that in the sounds and tones he offered on this new album of mine, too.
“Broke Down” – Dusty Heart (Dusty Heart)
I love hearing Barbara Jean play her banjo and fiddle/violin…and she has that beautiful blending gift when she’s singing harmonies — which you can really hear in her work with Molly Dean in their band Dusty Heart. On a fun side note, Mike Lewis was a part of producing this Dusty Heart album. Having Barbara Jean’s inside touch and harmonies on various songs on the new album means so much to me.
“Vermillion Nocturne” – Happy Apple (New York CD)
I wanted to share some Happy Apple to give a flash of this part of Mike Lewis’ musicianship and artistry. Mike continues to inspire me as a musician.
“Out of the Cold” – Amos Lee (Mission Bell)
The first time I recorded with Amos Lee was on this song, “Out of the Cold.” His song touched me then, and it still touches me now. My friendship with Amos through the music has taught me a lot. The second song Amos and I recorded several years later was a duet called “Do You Know” that I wrote, but that Amos ended up adding a verse to, too. Our musical, artistic, and personal paths have been very different in many ways, but the music and songs have kept us connected in such a comforting way. And somehow, we landed another duet (called “Drinkin’ Side”!) on this new album of mine. But in Amos’ words, it really does “take a lot of lovin’ coming out of the cold”…
“Fake Plastic Trees” – Romain Collin (Dust)
I discovered Romain Collin’s work through S. Carey. After lots of listening, I even reached out to Romain once to tell him that when I hear his playing, it makes me feel like singing! So I was delighted when Sean had the vision to invite Romain to try playing on some of the songs/tracks as we were working on fully realizing my new album. His playing added such beautiful inside layers to some of the tracks. He has made incredible soundtracks!
“Glitter Town” – Pieta Brown (Dreamin’ Of)
I’d like to just keep adding songs! But for now for this playlist closer, I decided to share the Dreamin’ Of album closer because of its collectiveness! Many of the musicians on this playlist are playing on this song. Musician and engineer Bryan Vanderpool joined us on this one, too. Bryan has a studio called Golden Bear in Des Moines, Iowa, and he REALLY helped us bring this track in for a full landing. This was a truly multi-dimensional recording. And very fun to chase and make!
Photo Credit: Mei Ling
