What feels like many years ago now, when I had one little boy at my side and a newborn Ezra in the sling, I remember standing in the aisles of our favorite music shop (Yay, Bull Moose!) talking to a friend there. We were talking about the "kids music" we loved and enjoyed together with our families - Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, Ella Jenkins, and Pete Seeger for example - and I remarked that I couldn't find anything 'new' or contemporary that I liked as much. "Oh!" he said, "you need to check out Elizabeth Mitchell." I walked out the door that day with You are My Flower in hand.
{John the Rabbit - Adelaide's favorite song on the new album, Sunny Day}
He was right - we loved it immediately.... and have loved every album since - You Are My Sunshine, Catch the Moon (with Lisa Loeb), You Are My Little Bird. The music in these albums are just what I was looking for in the family music that we share together - sweet, beautiful, traditional and new, and full of a deep appreciation for family connection, peaceful hearts, everyday moments, and the natural world. The songs on these albums have woven their way into my family's days and become favorites that I hear snippets of always - both in Elizabeth's voice, that of her husband Daniel who plays with her, and in the voices of my own children as they sing the songs they know and love. And I am eternally grateful that in the moments of chaos and stress of my days, it is often the words and sounds of these very songs that come to my mind, and slowly, change the tone of my heart and actions.
In the years since first being introduced to her work and welcoming it into our family, I've had the lovely pleasure, through the magic of this little ole' blog, of getting to know Elizabeth as a friend. And just this year, I had the incredible honor of writing the liner notes for this newest album, Sunny Day, released just this month by Smithsonian Folkways (who also release the work of all the fine folks I mentioned up above). The new album (with artwork by Ida Pearle!) - just like the others - touched me once again and has brought much joy to our family in the time we have enjoyed it together. We especially love the changes in Elizabeth's own family that are reflected in this album, as their daughter Storey joins in growing ways with some of her very own beautiful songs on the album. (My little Ezra is so very inspired.)
Elizabeth's family is currently on the road - you can find their full touring schedule on the website (click on 'shows'). We are SO thrilled that one of those stops is in Portland, Maine - Saturday, November 13 at one of our favorite local places....SPACE Gallery. Hooray!! Tickets are on sale now at Bull Moose, or by visiting Space Gallery.
For those of you local to Portland, MAINE.....
Thanks to Elizabeth Mitchell, and the wonderful folks at SPACE Gallery, I have a special treat to send out to TWO of you:
TWO tickets to the Elizabeth Mitchell show
November 13th, 2pm
SPACE Gallery, Portland, Maine
together with...
a signed copy of the new album Sunny Day
If you are able to attend the Portland (Maine!) show, and interested in the giveaway, please include the word PORTLAND in your comment on today's post. I'll announce the winners by Wednesday morning. Comments closed! The winners are:
PORTLAND - Thanks for the offer. My little monkey would love a music date. We all love SPACE gallery, too.
Posted by: Jessica
I'd LOVE the chance to take my girl on a fieldtrip to Portland...to the SPACE gallery of all places! What a great venue! Thanks!!
Posted by: Ida
For the rest of you local to Portland, check out the SPACE Gallery page to order your own tickets before the show sells out. See you there!
** Update: SPACE has added a second show at 11am! Check the website for details.
