Lizard Lounge, New Record & Last Chance Songwriting Classes
Photo by Joni Lohr
UPCOMING SHOW: Feb 22nd - Full Band at Lizard Lounge!
First of all, I wanted to thank everyone who came to the big Club Passim show in January. If you missed it, here's your next chance to catch my band:
This Saturday, February 22nd at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA my band will play a full set of songs. Best of all, we're co-headlining with the fabulous Americana band Cold Chocolate! Kill two birds with one stone: grab your tickets in advance to save a few bucks and make us sweat less .
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New Album Update:
I'm going into the studio next month to start work on my debut full length record!!!!! I'll be reuniting with Daniel Radin (co-producer of my EP Anything Worth Doing) and some other familiar faces to bring you a whole new set of original songs.
I'm also excited to announce that I've been named a recipient of an arts fellowship grant from Somerville Arts Council, which will go toward funding the record! If you'd like to support the album in a small way check out my online store and buy some Rachel Sumner merch (T-shirts, CDs, Lyric Booklets are the offerings right now!).
Every little bit helps!
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Songwriting Classes
A new semester at the Passim School of Music begins on March 9th, and I'll be teaching two courses, The Basics of Songwriting and Intermediate/Advanced Songwriting.
This is going to be my last semester teaching at the Passim School of Music (though I am available for private lessons via Skype or in person for Greater Boston Area folks).
Be sure you claim your seat for the semester!
The Basics of Songwriting
Geared toward those who are just starting out – in The Basics of Songwriting we’ll learn the basics of verse-chorus structure, story, rhyme scheme, and melody by analyzing folk & bluegrass songs. Students will learn to incorporate these concepts in their own writing and will each work on an original song that will be workshopped during the course.
Intermediate/Advanced Songwriting
This is a course aimed at folks who are more familiar with the process of songwriting and have written at least a handful of songs. As a class we will analyze songs that go beyond basic verse-chorus structure, chordal harmony, and melody. During class writing prompts will be given and we will discuss techniques to break out of writing ruts. Students will work on writing at least one song in the duration of the course and will have the opportunity to workshop those songs in class.
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Shows
F E B R U A R Y
Saturday, 02.22 // CAMBRIDGE, MA
Lizard Lounge
Full band show - co-bill with Cold Chocolate.
8:30pm doors, 9pm show.
RSVP on Facebook | Grab your tickets in advance
M A R C H
Friday, 03.13 // KITTERY, ME
The Dance Hall
Collaborative show with Pretty Saro (bluegrass).
7:30pm show.
RSVP on Facebook | Grab your tickets in advance
Sunday, 03.29 // NEWMARKET, NH
The Stone Church
Solo show opening for Birds of Chicago
7pm show.
RSVP on Facebook | Grab your tickets in advance
A P R I L
Thursday, 04.09 // SOMERVILLE, MA
The Canopy Room
So Good Sounds Presents a special night of solo sets from singer/songwriters with Jobi Riccio and Lindsay Foote.
7:30pm show.
Grab your tickets in advance
FRIDAY, 04.17 // PORTSMOUTH, NH
Portsmouth Book & Bar
Full band show - first time in Portsmouth!
9pm show.
RSVP on Facebook
SATURDAY, 04.18 // DUXBURY, MA
South Shore Folk Music Club
Solo show! Lady Dust to open. Open mic follows!
7pm doors, 8pm show.
Grab your tickets in advance
TUESDAY, 04.21 // NEW HAVEN, CT
Cafe Nine
Solo show - first time in New Haven! Lys Guillorn and Mercy Choir to open.
7pm doors, 8pm show.
RSVP on Facebook | Grab your tickets in advance
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Recommendations
I stumbled across a haunting story about an ill-fated group of factory workers known as the Radium Girls after a particularly deep dive into Joanna Newsom's song "Time, As A Symptom." At the end of that song she rattles off a string of words that seem mostly related to one another in terms of sound rather than meaning (though, they are in fact related in meaning!). One of the words she includes is the word Undarked. I'd never heard it before. Turns out Undark was a luminous paint made of radium - used mainly on watch dials - originally intended to help soldiers in WWI. A quick Google search then led me to learn about the Radium Girls and their truly incredible story.
I highly recommend you read The Radium Girls, by Kate Moore for a beautifully personal account of their brave battle against the companies who knowingly poisoned them.
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As always, thank you so much for subscribing and reading. I hope to see you very soon.
- R