Music at Three Pines: The Podcast

Those who have heard Pete and Crystal live, know already what great musicians they are and what fine music they create as Ordinary Elephant. We met them in 2018 when they were awarded Folk Alliance's Artist of the Year for 2017, and they graciously played our house series that fall. We have enjoyed every meeting at conferences or at other house shows. Their music evokes and older time, but with a contemporary feel. In addition to being fine musicians, they are two of the finer humans we have met.

https://www.ordinaryelephant.net/

patreon.com/ordinaryelephant

PayPal (paypal.me/ordinaryelephant) or Venmo (@ordinaryelephant).

Over the past five years, Caroline Cotter has essentially been constantly touring. That is, until the pandemic forced her to stop. She has spent the last six months in a very rural cabin in Maine--and she sat down to talk with me about the pandemic, self-care, and her approach to songwriting. We first met due to Emily Scott Robinson, and Caroline played our house in 2018. We have kept in touch ever since. She is a thoughtful person and songwriter with a truly lovely voice.

Venmo: @Caroline-Cotter-Music

PayPal: [email protected]

or at https://www.paypal.me/CarolineCotterMusic

Purchase Music: https://carolinecotter.bandcamp.com/

Join Mailing list and hear more at: www.carolinecotter.com

This episode features two singer songwriters, Caitlin Cannon and Alice Wallace. Friends and songwriting partners, they got together in Durango, Colorado over the summer, both to get Alice out of the humidity of Nashville and to write songs. The two are hilarious together, and write really good songs--both alone and together. We chatted about co-writing, mermaids (just have to listen) and the creative process.

https://www.caitlincannonmusic.com/ https://www.patreon.com/CaitlinCannon

Venmo: @CaitlinCannon1

PayPal.Me/CaitlinEddins

https://www.alicewallacemusic.com/ paypal.me/AliceWallaceMusic

Venmo: @alicewallacemusic

Today's episode features singer/songwriter Hayley Reardon. We met her in Montreal when Lisa saw her perform in an official showcase at Folk Alliance and was immediately taken by her voice and songs. She came to Colorado that following November and performed in our house series. And met our dogs. We were struck by her thoughtful approach to both performing and negotiating the music business. And of course, we loved her songs. When we saw her last, she was preparing for a songwriter in residence fellowship in Germany—where she would be right now had the pandemic not occurred. Hayley has shared stages with Lori Mckenna, Anais Mitchell and Rodney Crowell, and sings on Heather Maloney’s latest album. And, of course, she has released two full-length albums and an EP, and is preparing for her next album after the pandemic.

https://www.hayleyreardon.com/

Venmo (@hayleyreardon) and Paypal (https://www.paypal.me/hayleyreardon)

Those of you who have not heard Rachel Laven are in for a treat. While we were very quickly introduced at a music conference, we really first met her in our own home when she joined Emily Scott Robinson for our second house show. Rachel and Emily met at Kerrville and decided to do a mini-tour around Song School (Planet Bluegrass) and that included our little house show. From the very first note, we were Rachel Laven fans, and that has not gone away. We talk about her life in England this last year, her experience with the pandemic and her approach to songwriting.

You can find more information about Rachel at her website, and here are links to either support her work, or even to join her Patreon page.

http://www.rachellavenmusic.com/

PayPal.me/rachellavenmusic

Venmo: @Rachel-Laven-1

www.rachellavenmusic.com/boutique

https://www.patreon.com/RachelLaven

Today's episode features singer/songwriter Mary Bragg. We met Mary in Montreal at Folk Alliance International as she played in a showcase with Kyshona and Hannah Miller. We actually had both Kyshona and Hannah scheduled for 2020, but the pandemic interrupted. Luckily, we were able to host Mary last October. She is the consumate songwriter--takes the craft very seriously and she is able to evoke place and emotion with ease. In this discussion, we talk pandemic, creative thinking, the importance of editing in all writing, and how to address those internal critics. Along the way, Mary gives us all some life lessons and even ways to manage during these difficult times.

As I note in the podcast, her discography is all worth your time, but be sure to drop by her website and pick up a copy of Violets as Camoflauge--her 2019 release.

https://marybragg.com/

Please send her some support if you can. Venmo @Mary-Bragg, and her PayPal is [email protected].

This episode features my conversation with Portland's own Clara Baker. We met in 2017 at Folk Alliance, and she played our third house show later that fall. We have kept in touch and have actually run into her at every Folk Alliance since. Clara is a gifted songwriter and a fantastic musician, and was a finalist for the Telluride Troubadour contest just last June. Her 2019 album, Things To Burn, was one of our favorite albums of that year and is in pretty constant rotation at our house. In this conversation, we talk about how she made that album and how different it sounds from her first one--Temporary Things. We also talk about the pandemic, her training as a sound engineer, and as we try to do with all our episodes, find out how creative songwriters approach their craft.

You can purchase her albums here: http://www.clarabakermusic.com/, and can give her some support at Venmo @Clarabakery

In this episode, I sat down with Emily Scott Robinson, singer songwriter extraordinaire. Originally from North Carolina, Emily and her husband now travel around in their RV. She and I met at Folk Alliance International in 2016, and the following August, Emily played our very first house show. As I note with her, she played in our series before we knew we wanted a series.

Emily has toured widely and honed her skills as a solo performer. She is well known for her great songwriting, and amazingly beautiful voice. She won Kerrville's New Folk several years ago, an most recently won the Telluride Troubadour Contest last June. Her most recent album, Traveling Mercies has caught the attention of Billboard Magazine, No Depression, and American Songwriter, and frequently takes a spin on our turntable. In this podcast, we talk about Covid, Black Lives Matter, and how she approaches songwriting. In addition, she tells us the story of her quarantine inspired single--The Time for Flowers. You will hear the song in this episode, and can watch the video she and her husband made for it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqZzjLaHBIg, inspired by the Amor Towles novel, A Gentleman in Moscow.

You can find her webpage here: https://www.emilyscottrobinson.com/#home-section, and you can order cds, vinyl, merch from her store. You can find her music page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/emilyscottrobinson/, and if you would like to contribute to an independent musician during this difficult time, here are her Venmo and PayPal connections.

@emilyscottrobinson on Venmo // [email protected] on PayPal

This episode features Minnesota's own Rachael Kilgour. We met Rachel at Folk Alliance in Montreal and were immediately entranced by her voice and songwriting. We had her scheduled for a house show here in Colorado, but the date coincided with the necessary lockdown due to the pandemic. Instead, Rachael gave us a lovely virtual Zoom concert for some 20 of our house show guests. Not as good as live, but her concert gave us all a needed boost at the beginning of this new normal. As I note in the introduction, this podcast is not inherently political, but folk music has always been connected to the political realities of the time. We talk about the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as living under a pandemic, but we also talk about Rachael's art and creative process.

We hope that listeners will enjoy the podcast, but also will find ways to support independent artists like Rachael. You can find out more information about her at her website: https://rachaelkilgour.com/home, and if you would like to purchase some merch, visit www.rachaelkilgour.bandcamp.com. Or, if you would simply like to support her work, her Venmo is @Rachael-Kilgour and her PayPal is [email protected]

Annie Sumi is a Canadian singer/songwriter from Guelph, Canada. In addition to being a fan, I am her American booking agent, and was working with her on several American tours prior to the pandemic. In this conversation, we talk about her observations about the pandemic, her approach to songwriting, and her general approach to music.

I hope you will listen to here here and then purchase and download some of her music. She is a songwriter worthy of your attention.

http://anniesumi.com/

Paypal: paypal.me/universeofannie