Gaelynn Lea: Duluth Treasure to National Treasure

Learning How To Stay

This afternoon I was on the receiving end of a press release about Gaelynn Lea's upcoming album release show at Sacred Heart. Rather than re-write it in my own words, I've decided to post it as is, with a few comments as preface.

I have a number of special moments or memories that come to mind when I think of Gaelynn. The first time I heard her perform was at the Tweed Museum of Art, the occasion being (if I remember incorrectly you will forgive me) her senior recital. Whatever the occasion was, her violin playing was pretty phenomenal.

Over the years our paths have crossed numerous times through our affiliation with the Duluth music scene. Twice I performed in Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan concerts in which she also was also a performer. Her rendition of Bob Dylan's "All the Tired Horses" at one of these Sacred Heart concerts may have successfully realized Dylan's vision for the potential of a tune some had considered a throwaway.

Gaelynn has performed a number of times at Beaners and sometimes just hung out there I believe. One of my special memories was the day she got engaged. We were at Beaners and she was showing me her engagement ring, wearing the smile that has melted so many hearts.

She's known hardship and fought through in such a remarkable way that she is an inspiration to everyone who knows her. Here's the press announcement regarding her upcoming concert.

PRESS ALERT: Gaelynn Lea's Duluth Album Release Show

Photo credit: Richard Carter

When Gaelynn Lea won NPR Music’s 2016 Tiny Desk Contest, her two decades as a hardworking and talented Duluth musician finally crystallized in a beautiful moment of national recognition. It was also just the beginning of a grand adventure. With the wind of her award at their backs, Gaelynn and her husband Paul sold their house, quit their jobs, bought a van, and hit the road.

Since then, Gaelynn has played over 425 shows in 42 states and seven countries, adding nearly 100,000 miles to their Ford Econoline’s odometer. The singer-songwriter and violinist has graced the stage of renowned venues like Nashville’s Music City Roots, The Kennedy Center, House of Blues and even BBC World News. This June she was featured at arts festivals in both Iceland and Switzerland, and then went on to play Winnipeg Folk Fest in July, Travelers Rest Festival in August and Halifax Pop Explosion in October. Yet somehow between this perpetual blitz of performances, Gaelynn also managed to release her third full-length album this Fall.

Until this point Gaelynn Lea has presented most of her songs using only a few tools: a violin, a voice, and a looping pedal. But for her latest, Gaelynn Lea enlisted the help of some musical friends to bring her new album to life. "With album credits to the likes of NPR’s Bob Boilen, Low’s Alan Sparhawk, HALEY and DOSH (to name just a few), Gaelynn Lea has assembled a crack team of spirit guides for her step into the world of rock on her surprisingly rhythmic new record." (Mike Novitski, former host of Duluth Local Show on The Current) Learning How To Stay is an 11-song collection that runs the gamut sonically from pensive and luscious to aggressive and intentioned, from folk to decidedly pop, and even includes a couple of traditional fiddle tunes.

"This album is Gaelynn Lea in the spotlight. Assembling a near perfect backing band that highlights and never overshadows; it’s Gaelynn’s tremendous skill as a songwriter that’s on full display." (Walt Dizzo, KUWS Music Director) With her singular voice and deeply-affecting violin, she guides the listener through a journey that explores the contrasting nature of existence: dark and light, birth and death, anger and forgiveness, sorrow and joy. Learning How to Stay encourages the listener to stay present for it all.

Photo credit: Evr Glow Media

Gaelynn is returning to the Northland for a hometown show at Sacred Heart Music Center on Saturday, November 17th. For this special album release concert she will be backed by her full band; they will be doing a live performance of Learning How to Stay from start to finish. Doors open at 7pm and music will begin at 7:30pm. Special guests Ingeborg Von Agassiz and Jerree Small will open this all-ages show. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. This venue is wheelchair accessible; please email management@gaelynnlea.com at least 24 hours in advance if accommodations are required and we will do our best to meet your needs.

In addition to performing and recording, Gaelynn also loves to do public speaking engagements about disability awareness, accessibility in the arts, and living an enriching life. She has a congenital disability called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or Brittle Bones Disease. Gaelynn is a strong voice in the disability community; she uses her music as a platform to advocate for people with disabilities and to promote positive social change.

Gaelynn Lea (+ Full Band!)
Duluth Album Release Show
Special Guests Ingeborg Von Agassiz and Jerree Small
November 17th, 2018
Show at 7:30pm, Doors at 7:00pm
Venue is Wheelchair Accessible
All Ages Show
Tickets: $12 adv / $15 doors
Ticket Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gaelynn-lea-album-release-show-tickets-51411596469
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2656451291035599/

LINKS
Gaelynn Lea Official Website
www.violinscratches.com

Social Media
www.facebook.com/gaelynnlea
www.twitter.com/gaelynnlea
www.instagram.com/gaelynnlea

2018 "Lost in the Woods" Music Video
2017 Paste Music Session
2016 NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
Great Big Story's Funk Plus One 
POPSUGAR Interview
TEDxYale
TEDxGullLake

Album Reviews:
Strings Magazine: Gaelynn Lea's Learning How To Stay  Another Album Review
No Depression: Learning How To Stay Album Review
Louder Than War: Gaelynn Lea Releases Brilliant New Album
The Current: First Listen
Duluth News Tribune

Earth Rider Celebrates One-Year Anniversary, PLUS Other Items of Note -- Gaelynn Lea, DAI, Kruk, Zeitgeist

Five years ago former mayor Don Ness declared that Duluth was Minnesota's "Beer Capital." He proclaimed this in response to the number of craft breweries here that had been spawning like mushrooms beneath a blanket of moist forest fog. Since that declaration there have been still more "brewhouses" fermenting the scene, one of these being Earth Rider tucked away on Superior's North End.

Earth Rider founders Tim & Brad Nelson will be celebrating the one-year anniversary of Earth Rider Beer this week on Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings. Brad Nelson's connections to the local music scene (a drummer with Jamie Ness with the Boomchucks, the Freelwheelers and others) enabled him to book three nights of great music from amongst the Twin Ports' best.

Last September I got a tour of the facility just days before they began their new line, everything glistening in the sunlight coming through the windows. Hard to believe it's already been a year. Lest I fail to mention it, their award-winning beer tastes great.

Earth Rider Fest begins Thursday Sep 13 and runs thru Saturday. Details here on Facebook.

TRIVIA
Question: Do you know why the Facebook logo is blue?  
Answer: Because founder Mark Zuckerberg is red/green color blind. 

Amanda Breitbach, Land/People

Sept 13 .   DAI Opening Reception .  6-9 p.m.
Thursday evening the Duluth Art Institute will kick off three new exhibitions with a Reception and artist talks. Details here at the DAI website.

ZEITGEIST SEEKING VOLUNTEERS
The Zeitgeist is looking for volunteers to help them conduct bike and pedestrian counts all around Duluth this coming Friday September 13th. Sign up for a shift here: http://bit.ly/2018BikePedCount

The information will help influence and inform Twin Ports transportation decisions going forward. Training will be provided to all volunteers. If you can count to 10, you have the skills they are looking for.

GAELYNN LEA'S NEW ALBUM

This announcement came in last night from Gaelynn:

In case you didn't know - my new album, "Learning How to Stay", came out on Friday, September 7th! It features 9 of my original songs and my takes on two traditional fiddle tunes, all backed by a full band. I was lucky to work with a number of talented musicians on this album, including Dave Mehling, Al Church, Martin Dosh, Andrew Foreman, Alan Sparhawk, and many others. The album has received a few lovely reviews so far, in Strings Magazine, No Depression, and Louder Than War... And it's only a few days old, so hopefully it will be discovered by other publications down the road. Ultimately the reviews are not what matter, though... I started this record over a year ago and I am so excited to finally be sharing the music with YOU!

If you haven't listened yet, you can stream it online worldwide now! For those of you who prefer physical copies, CDs and vinyls will soon be for sale here, or they can be purchased at a show! If you pre-ordered a copy through my GoFundMe, you'll be receiving your copy in the mail within the next couple weeks!

Her website includes lots of info. She's back from her European tour and doing a month of gigs out East. You can get the album on her website: https://violinscratches.com/album/

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UWS Faculty Show

The Holden Fine Arts Faculty at UWS is hosting an opening reception for their faculty show, on display at the Kruk Gallery there on the campus. The reception is from 5-7 Thursday. I would encourage you to plan your evening by starting there and then heading over to the DAI... No, wait, there's the Earth Rider Fest... Oh fooey. Maybe sneak a peek at DAI... no, hmmm
Looks like Thursday will involve some hard decisions.

Here's a description of the show: Giant woodblock prints, hand printed photographs, indigo woven cloth, and a huge ceramic chicken covered in tar. These are some of the treasures on view during the UWS Faculty exhibition in the Kruk gallery. Come see the creative power house that is Holden Fine Arts Faculty.

Details here on Facebook.

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Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.

Nice Girls of the North and a Quick Plug for Gaelynn Lea's Next Gig

Creativity flows out of us in manifold ways, and whatever stream you follow can generate a deep satisfaction, whether you are a creator or the one who devours created things with their eyes. If you live in the Lakeside area, the Lakeside Lester Park Community Center on 51st Avenue East, opens its arms on the second Saturday of each month, inviting people like you to drop in and shop around. The creative wares are primarily in the "functional art" category, but even if you just stop only to look around, eat a sweet and sip a little coffee you will leave with a lift. The warmth generated there is quite satisfying in and of itself.

While visiting I ran into Rebecca Petersen of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Petersen reminded me that violinist Gaelynn Lea would be performing with the symphony this coming Saturday for a special St. Patrick's Day concert. Ms. Lea gained national recognition when she won NPR's Tiny Desk Contest in 2016.

Here are a few photos from last Saturday followed by more information about the concert.

These scarves by Grey Lady Designs were beautiful.

There was a steady stream of people dropping in, checking things out.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Engage it.

One Too Many Mornings and Other Local Dylan-Related Items of Note

When it comes to all things Dylan, there's always more going on than there's time to write about it. Here are a few items of note that relate to Dylan and Duluth, in no particular order of importance.

1. WWDD bracelets are now available here in all the usual spaces where Dylan souvenirs are sold. As you walk down Bob Dylan Way from the Depot to the Armory, it will remind you to ask yourself, "What Would Dylan Do?" Proceeds from the sale of WWDD bracelets will go toward events surrounding Duluth Dylan Fest.*

Gaelynn Lea (L) with Alan Sparhwak, The Murder of Crows

2. One of the highlights of last year's Duluth Dylan Fest for me personally was the celebration of Bob Dylan's birthday at his former home on the Central Hillside, followed later by the Duluth Does Dylan CD release party at The Rex. This is a truly great CD featuring local bands that do Dylan covers. When I wrote my review of the CD last June, I noted many stellar features of the various renditions of the selected songs. One of these songs was One Too Many Mornings, recorded and performed by The Murder of Crows (Alan Sparhawk and Gaelynn Lea.) At the time I was impressed by the wholly different variation or spin they put on the song, totally unlike the original. My admiration for Alan Sparhawk climbed another notch for his innovations (I assumed that Alan designed the chord structures and new design of the song.)

Then, this past week, a video of Dylan performing One Too Many Mornings live during the Rolling Thunder Revue came across my path. And guess what? It was Dylan himself who had produced the new chord structure, tempo and design of the song. I copied the link to the YouTube page where I discovered it but today find that it has since been removed. (It must have been a bootleg.)

Dylan's continuous variations and reconfigurations of his songs have long endeared him to his fans. Let me add kudos to Alan and Gaelynn for choosing this rendition sharing it on this CD. To hear Gaelynn Lea become Scarlet Rivera and Alan squeezing emotional juice into the lyrics is quite satisfying, and worthy of accolades.

3. An finally, hey man, it's that time of year again. As we slide toward the end of January we call to mind Buddy Holly's Dance Party Tour that passed this way in 1959. This Saturday everyone is invited to put their dancing shoes on and celebrate the Winter Dance Party with us, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Music Center. Proceeds go toward the Armory renovation and restoration project that has been ongoing for many years, with some noteworthy progress being made this past year. Will we see you there?

*EdNote: I just made all that up. But while we're talking about Duluth Dylan Fest,  the dates and tentative schedule for the Seventh Annual DDF can be found here. Mark your calendars. 

Twin Ports Tonight: Zenith City On Tap and Gaelynn Lea @ the DAI

Life would be a whole lot simpler if we didn't have so many choices to make. I'm thinking it has to be a drag sometimes to live in a big city where there is so much happening you don't know how to choose, between this show and that performance and this talk and that art opening. Take a peek at the first few pages of The New Yorker each week and it makes your head spin.

I say all that because as small as the Twin Ports scene seems in comparison, there's still so much happening here once you're aware of it... and it's a challenge to choose between this event and that.

Tonight is one more evening where having a clone of oneself would be helpful. First, there's a Gaelynn Lea performance at the Duluth Art Institute from 6-8 p.m.. It's something akin to a closing reception for Tim White's "In and Out of Context," the summer show in the Steffl Gallery featuring photography by Tim White and excerpts from local poets. The event will not be at the Depot, but rather in the DAI's Lincoln Building at 2229 West 2nd Street. Here's a clue as to what a treat this free concert will be. I dropped by Beaners on the way home one evening and it was packed wall to wall, hardly any breathing room. All the tables had been removed and the ticket price to get in was twenty bucks. I said, "Wow, that's pretty steep for a typical Friday." "No, Gaelynn is performing tonight."

It's been a very special year for Gaelynn Lea, who gained national recognition for her music. Paul Whyte of the Reader assembled this story about her new album The Songs We Sing Along the Way.

Tonight's free performance is featured this a.m. in the DNT's Best Bests section. Tell your friends you're attending by noting this event on Facebook.


ZENITH CITY ON TAP: THE 1915 DULUTH ARMORY, PAST & FUTURE

Last year was a big year for the Duluth Armory. The historic building turned 100 this past year. Tonight from 6:45 till 9:00 p.m. Glensheen Mansion is hosting a TED Talk-style presentation with two speakers who will shine a light on the Duluth Armory, Tony Dierckens and Mark Poirer.

Dierckens is a local author, publisher, entrepreneur and historian who has been our keeper of the flame as regards local Duluth history. His talk regarding the Armory's history will undoubtedly be eye-opening and leave you wanting to hear more. Mark Poirer, executive director for the Armory Arts and Music Center (AAMC) board, will share what has been happening at the Armory these past ten years as well as its plans for future use. Slated for demolition, the building was saved by the AAMC in 2004—but its renovation has been a struggle.

If you decide to go, be sure to enter through the mansion’s front door. There will also be beer and wine available for purchase.

I've written a number of times about the Historic Duluth Armory. Here are a couple posts from recent years:
Items of note regarding the Armory
Making a case for preserving the Armory

Gaelynn Lea has performed during the annual Duluth Dylan Fest fund-raiser concert for the AAMC. Tonights's events are tied together in a sense.

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REMINDER #DQCP

This is week three of Kathy McTavish's Duluth Quantum Computing Project, which can be found at The 3 West Building on Superior Street. This week's theme is intriguingly titled alice in wonderland ::: hypermedia ::: the cross-sensory house of mirrors

Drop in anytime Thursdays 3-9, Fridays 12-6, Saturdays 3-9 during the next 6 weeks.

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For a more complete list of things to see and do, check The Reader, the Transistor and the DNT.... and the bulletin boards around town where all our local arts happenings get promoted, like Beaners, Pizza Luce, the Electric Fetus... and Facebook.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Just keep breathing and open your eyes.

Ten Minutes With The Remarkable Gaelynn Lea

I recently received a press release from Gaelynn Lea announcing an October 6 Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting to launch her solo career. Her business, Gaelynn Lea Music, will focus on teaching fiddle, performing and public speaking. Having followed Gaelynn's career since I first heard her perform, I reached out in the hopes of sharing her life and spirit with readers of this blog.

EN: When did you first take an interest in music?

Gaelynn Lea: My parents, Tim and Peggy White, are both very musical. They ran Change of Pace Dinner Theater for 20 years, so when my siblings and I were kids, we were always exposed to singing and musical theater... It was just a big part of life! When I was just a little toddler, like 2 years old, my dad would sing me strings of notes at different pitches (la-la-la-la) and I would sing them back to him. It was a game he created - he was basically doing a simplified version of ear training, without maybe even realizing it.

EN: How did you come to take up the violin?

GL: In 4th grade, the junior high orchestra came to our elementary school and I remember loving the strings - especially the cellos. Then in the first week of 5th grade, students were asked if they wanted to participate in a music listening test for orchestra. I took the test with a few of my friends, and it turns out I was the only person in the whole school who got a perfect score... As I said, my dad helped to develop my sense of pitch when I was younger, so it really came in handy that day! The orchestra teacher at Ordean Junior High, Susan Sommerfeld, talked to my parents and said, "She's got such a good ear, we have to figure out a way for her to play." You see, I have a disability called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or Brittle Bones Disease. I use an electric wheelchair to get around and due to multiple fractures in utero my limbs are shortened and bent at 90 degree angles. But luckily both my teacher and my parents were open-minded about modifying the way I play. So then we started experimenting! Because my arms are so short, the cello was too big for me to bow, and my arm couldn't reach the fingerboard on my violin. But then it dawned on us that I could play the violin like a tiny cello -- in an upright position. Once we figured that out, everything else fell into place! I have been playing continuously for 21 years, since I was 10. I love the violin.

EN: What's the difference between fiddle and violin? 

GL: Fiddles and violins are technically the same instrument - the difference is really in the musical styles. Violin is associated with classical music and fiddle is associated with traditional or bluegrass music. The two different types of music involve different postures, techniques, and sounds but you can use the same instrument for the different styles.

EN: How did you come to take up performing?

GL: After high school I decided I didn't want to pursue classical music, so I joined a Celtic group at Macalester College called "Flying Fingers". I learned a lot of tunes that way and so when I transferred to UMD in 2005 I started regularly attending the Celtic jam at Sir Benedict's. It was there I met a guitar/banjo player named Andy Gabel. He asked if I could learn a tune he liked by ear - called Blackberry Blossom - and so I did. Very shortly after that we started jamming together and eventually formed an acoustic folk duo called Gabel and Gaelynn. We played at venues around town for about 3 years until he moved out West. We had a lot of fun together!

EN: Tell us about your first solo album. What kind of music can we expect to hear?

GL: My solo album is going to be all instrumental - mostly traditional fiddle tunes (Celtic, American, and Swedish), with a few recognizable standards to keep the non-fiddler engaged. The album is just me and my violin, but the sound is filled out with live loops from my Memory Man pedal layered underneath. I tried to pick a wide variety of tempos, keys, and moods for this album. As a whole, it is a tapestry of sound with the various layers weaving in and out. It is a relaxing and meditative album. If I can raise enough money I am also planning to release a 7" vinyl, with two vocal/violin tracks (one on each side). I also love to sing so I recorded an original song of mine and an old standard song... But I decided I didn't want to break up the flow of instrumentals so I am doing something a little different with these two tracks!

EN: What kind of music do you listen to yourself?

GL: I am a huge fan of Big Band music and bluegrass... I always have been, so that will probably never change. In college I was a big fan of The Decemberists, Wilco, The Eels, and Neutral Milk Hotel. I love creative lyrics. But in recent years I have kind of become local-centric about the music I listen to on a regular basis. Right now the musicians I play at home are Charlie Parr, Low, The Lowest Pair, Four Mile Portage, Woodblind, and the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank. I am also a big fan of Jim Hall, the Boomchucks, the Fontanelles, and the Black-Eyed Snakes. Jerree Small is amazing. I am a big fan of Duluth in general.

EN: For what it's worth, Duluth is a big fan of you, too. Why do you think music affects us so deeply?

GL: It has to be hardwired. I have been busking on the Lakewalk since college and one thing that always amazes me is how the tiniest of children respond to music, even if their parents aren't looking... Totally un-coaxed, a little toddler will crane her neck from her stroller to watch the violin as she rolls by. Or a little baby will bop his head to the beat, or a three year old will burst into spontaneous applause at the end of the song. Music is in our DNA, I really believe that.

EN: I heard you in a a recital at the Tweed many years ago. Was that when you were graduating from UMD?

GL: I actually never took music in college for any kind of credit. I majored in Political Science and minored in Psychology. I think the recital you might be referring to is when I sat in with Billy MacLachlan. Disability services asked the two of us to talk about disability and music, but we ended up playing together instead. You could tell at the time that he was more comfortable playing music than talking, although now he is a public speaker too! Anyway, that night I sat in with him for a song during his concert, and we have kept in touch over the years. He is a really nice person.

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This past spring Gaelynn performed in the Sacred Heart concert A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan. Her rendition of Dylan's "All the Tired Horses" totally blew us away, a song that Greil Marcus famously dissed when it opened Dylan's Self Portrait album in 1970. If Marcus had known how this song would get translated nearly a half century later, he never would have said what he did.

It's been a privilege to watch Gaelynn's career evolve. The Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting is open to the public; it will be held at 3pm on Tuesday, October 6th at 394 S Lake Ave, Suite 510G, Duluth, MN 55802.

To learn more about Gaelynn Lea and Gaelynn Lea Music, or to sign up for lessons, visit www.violinscratches.com

I'll close this blog post with a line from the close of Gaelynn's email signature line:
"Gratitude leads to joy, which fills the heart with love and peace."

Photo Credits Michael K. Anderson (top) and Jessi Anderson