New Music-Gift Wrap, G Flip, Tancred, and Gin Wigmore

It is Spring, birds are waking me in the morning and alerting me that work needs to be done. They are up early, singing, feeding, flying, and nesting. It amazes me when, each spring, birds are in a seasonal rhythm and synchronicity. They follow the weather and hunker down during the wild spring thunderstorms, build their nests, create new life, and continue their yearly traditions.

When a baby bird becomes fully feathered and its wings become strong enough to fly, the Mama and Papa birds push it out of the nest. By doing so, they force the adult future on a baby bird. It is a necessary part of its path to becoming all that it can be. If the Mama and Papa didn’t force the growth, the baby bird might stay in the nest and expect it’s mother to feed it worms and grubs for the rest of its life.

Sometimes we all need a push.

We all hope we will grow strong wings eventually. It may happen early, late, or right when we need them. We earn them through joys, heartbreak, working hard, learning new things, or just plain ol’ crazy life experience. But once grown and formed, there is no one in our lives that will give us the push we need to get out of our cozy nest of comfort, except ourselves. It is up to us to know when we should demand more, be more, and live more.

I have had my share of hard knocks, but even so, I tend to stay in my comfort zone and only occasionally color outside of the lines. Therefore, I fly and soar periodically, but tend to remain very close to my nest. Is it fear? Is it anxiety? Or is it based on a deep need of reassurance?

How about you? Do you take important risks to grow? Or do you hang back and wait for an internal push?

When I was shaken up by the early death of my mother, my sibling spending more than a year fighting a life threatening disease, and a father who is in the midst of chemotherapy, I learned pretty quickly that I don’t have the luxury of youth and lots of time.

Every.  Single.  Day.  is important to me right now.

Unfortunately, I have a tendency to fritter hours away, or spin my wheels on silly details that surely have easier solutions than my tired round about ways of creating beauty or solving dilemmas. I have been navigating on a lazy cruise control as of late. I need a push.

Hosting a radio show last Saturday at WUOG 90.5 in Athens pushed me ever so gently out of my comfort zone. Even though I have done it a few times before, the exhilaration left me remembering why stretching and growing is a life force I have been missing. I don’t think I earned any miraculous DJ accolades, but I believe I rocked the airwaves with great music and I made a valiant effort to do my best. This is an area I want to work on, for sure.

This upcoming weekend, I will begin a photography class to up my game in the world of concert photography. I feel the nudge to be better, and as my feet are dangling from my comfort zone, I know there is more I can do to push myself out of my newly created cozy nest. Because even though we have grown and flown once, there are times when we create new nests that hold us in.

Music has a strong power for me, but as I navigate the music world I sometimes focus on my insecurities and then it illuminates my inner fear. I definitely need a push.

As I listen to the amazing music submissions and the random music that works its way to my ears, I learn to live fully. I am blessed by you all.

Cheers to the musicians that send me e-mails….so many I could never answer them all (please forgive my quiet).

Cheers to the followers that show up daily to check in, read, like, and comment on my pages. It is your interactive presence that brings me snippets of joy. More, please more!

Cheers to the festivals that give me a chance to prove my validity and creativity.

Cheers to those that attend concerts with me and bear with me when I am transfixed and can’t carry on a conversation.

Cheers to the strangers that become friends, as we sing and dance during live performances.

I am so very blessed….and now I believe…it is my time. What other time is there? I will not be stagnant.

I need to push myself out of the nest. I need to test my wings and learn to soar to higher heights.

I hope you might continue to follow along and see how I navigate the unknown, of growing and stretching into new territory. I could fall and fail miserably, or I just might float solidly above the ground and then gradually maybe even gracefully learn how to raise my soaring elevation.

The creativity of new music provides the hope that anything is possible.

Here are four of the eight new songs I shared while Djaying at WUOG. Check them out. They all create, push boundaries, and send it out into the world with no guarantees.

I am in awe.

Gift Wrap

Gift Wrap is out of New York. It is the solo project of Brendon Avalos.  The tune “Losing Count” was taken from the 13 track album of the same name, released in early March. There is no question about the 80’s influence and I am loving the sharp, jilting vocals. Catchy, and dance worthy, I am a new fan. Listen.

G Flip

G Flip is a crazy random discovery I found after hours of listening to and watching  music videos. It is Georgia Flipo from Melbourne, Australia. She is a multi-instrumentalist and the song I shared, “About You”, proves it. She lays down track after track as she picks up different instruments. The build is so fun to witness. This is new music and after successful SXSW performances, I am pretty sure there will be more recorded tracks. Fun to watch and a tune that will stick in your head, check it out.

Tancred

Tancred out of Maine is Jess Abbott, Kevin Medina, and Terrence Vitali. The Track, “Reviews” is off of their upcoming album Nightstands out in June via Polyvinyl Records. It has an upbeat tempo, an edgy pop sound with driving drums, and lyrics which highlight Jess’ songwriting capabilities.

Gin Wigmore

Gin Wigmore is out of LA but she claims they embrace the entire galaxy. Inclusiveness and gender celebration is a mainstay with the song “Girlgang”. Women are continuing to struggle for a voice and equality, so isn’t it powerful a strong vocalist can praise females and connect their history with strength and future potential. I am on board for sure.

These are four of the new artists I featured last Saturday while Djaying. But there is so much more. Check out the full playlist. I am pretty pumped about the mix and the medley of talent included.

Fly with me…