Number 21, February 15, 2022

Recommendations For Singers: Film, Open Mic, Songwriting Retreat, Article on Fame from The New York Times

This blog will be about some recommendations, with minor commentary, on current resources for those of you who study singing and want to participate in the world of “open mic” performance, learn about songwriting, and watch a great film about the power of the human voice.

---

Watch the Film “CODA”

There is a new film out on the streaming services called “CODA,” which stands for Child Of Deaf Adults.  It follows the story of a young woman who is the daughter of a deaf mother and dad, who is herself a hearing person.  The film follows her as she is opened up to the world of music and singing, and how this impacts the world of her parents, their livelihood, her upbringing, and her future.  It is a profound statement on the power of music and the power of family.  I know you will all enjoy it and I recommend it highly to all of you to find and see!

---

Join the FAR-West Mailing List to Sign Up for Campfire Open Mics!

The immensely popular “Campfire” open mics held by the Folk Alliance Region West (FAR-West) is in full swing now every second and fourth Tuesday of the month.  Sign up on the FAR-West mailing list to be informed of all the upcoming dates and to register.  You can register and sign up to be a listener as well as a performer.  Sign up HERE and look for the link to sign up on the mailing list!

---

Yosemite Songwriting Retreat Now Open for Registration!

The Yosemite Songwriting Retreat is now open for registration!  This completely on-line retreat is planned for April 8-10 and sports a fabulous roster of teaching talent and mentorship.  If you have ever wanted to write or get feedback on your songwriting, this is the place!  Check it out HERE

---

Interesting Article:  “What the Beatles Tell Us About Fame” from David Brooks, The New York Times

In last Friday’s opinion section of The New York Times, columnist David Brooks writes about what might, at first, seem to be a benign subject, the idea that most artists need more than just raw talent, they need “champions” to support them and help push their career movement forward.  He writes “No matter how talented you are, you need champions.”  In this context, the idea of having a champion is having someone in your life or some people in your life, who believe in you enough to push your career forward, making connections and helping make things happen.  Brooks uses the Beatles as a rather high-profile example of a group of artists that suffered their own measure of rejection early in their career until a few champions helped push them forward into record contracts and management.

After this first premise is made, this following section poses questions for all of us, artists and non-artists alike:

“If you are an artist, you probably have less control over whether you’ll become famous than you would like.  Social conditions are the key.  The better questions for the rest of us may be:  Who am I an early champion for?  Who are the obscure talents I can help lift up?  How am I fulfilling my responsibility to shape the desires of the people around me?  For most of us, that’s how the real creative acts are performed.”

Read the full article HERE.

---

Video of the Week:  Susie and the Hilonesome Band Music Video of “Harlan County Boys”

Here is a great music video we did in 2013 of Ernest Troost’s original song “Harlan County Boys.”  Enjoy this blast from the past!  Susie Glaze and the Hilonesome Band “Harlan County Boys”

See you next time for all things singing for Folk and Americana styles!

Susie

PS:  Get in touch with me at newfolkfusion@gmail.com about taking voice lessons on Zoom!

________________________________________________
Award-winning recording artist, Broadway singer, journalist, educator and critically-acclaimed powerhouse vocalist, Susie Glaze has been called “one of the most beautiful voices in bluegrass and folk music today” by Roz Larman of KPFK’s Folk Scene. LA Weekly voted her ensemble Best New Folk in their Best of LA Weekly for 2019, calling Susie “an incomparable vocalist.” “A flat out superb vocalist… Glaze delivers warm, amber-toned vocals that explore the psychic depth of a lyric with deft acuity and technical perfection.” As an educator, Susie has lectured at USC Thornton School of Music and Cal State Northridge on “Balladry to Bluegrass,” illuminating the historical path of ancient folk forms in the United Kingdom to the United States via immigration into the mountains of Appalachia. Susie has taught workshops since 2018 at California music camps RiverTunes and Vocáli Voice Camp. She is a current specialist in performance and historian on the work of American folk music icon, Jean Ritchie. Susie now offers private voice coaching online via the Zoom platform. Visit Susie’s Website HERE