In October 2017, I served as artist-in-residence for the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness in Upper Michigan. I wrote a three-song EP called I Can Almost See inspired by that beautiful place. I have more to say about it here.
Thanks Debarro!
Debarro is a folk fusion band from Colombia. I was lucky to join them for a couple songs at Gallery 263 in Cambridge last week.
D.C. and Cambridge in February
Two opening sets in February. In anticipation of the D.C. gig, I recorded a new song about our nation's capitol town. Listen and come see me out on the trail.
2/16/18: Washington, D.C. — Union Stage 7pm, (w/Handsome Hound)
2/24/18: Cambridge, MA — Atwoods, 4pm (w/Reina del Cid)
Songs From The North Country!
It's here! What a journey this album has been. Thank you to my IndieGoGo backers who made it all possible. Thank you to Ben, Tony, Jenn, and Malia for making the album better. Thanks to the rest of you for listening to me ramble on about Norway for the past two years. After living this adventure for three months and then mulling it for many more, I'm really happy with how this thing turned out. I think it is a good record of what happened. Give Songs From The North Country a listen and let me know what you think.
Window
Another new single! Thank you to Ben Cosgrove for providing the beautiful accordion accompaniment here.
Two new songs
Here's a little preview of Songs From The North Country. I'm really happy with how the album is coming together. Tony Petersen played electric guitar(s) on "Black Friday" and Jenn Fagre played violin/viola on "Letters From America."
I'll be taking these songs around the midwest and northeast in the coming months, playing some of my favorite cozy venues and a string of house concerts. Hope to see you!
12/22/17: St. Paul, MN — The Underground Cafe, 5pm
12/23/17: Duluth, MN — Amazing Grace Cafe, 6pm
2/24/17: Cambridge, MA — Gallery 263, 7PM
If you are interested in hosting a house concert, I'll bring my Norway songs and stories to your living room. Email me.
Working
I've been working on the new album for two months now, kinda racing to get everything done by Christmas time.
In addition to recording music, I’ve also been organizing a booklet that will include song lyrics and stories from my time in Norway. I’m still messing around with the layout. The cover will look like one of these drafts…
Fortunately, my home studio comes with an in-house design team. Artwork by Malia Chan. Here’s an excerpt from one of the Norway stories:
Most days, I work in the forest at three to four hours at a go. Usually with Erik. In the morning, we bundle around the hearth, shoulder our axes, and commute four minutes up a seventy degree grade. Above Nordre Oppland, twin splitting stations flank a massive woodstack, and the view is unbeatable. All the way to Lillehammer, white parceled farmland unrolls with a detailed stitching of roads and fences. On clear mornings, the sun rises big and red across the valley, about thirty minutes into our effort. The slanting light inflames the countryside. More than once I think to myself that Pieter Bruegel the Elder should eat his heart out. Haha, very clever Jamie. But yes, if you want to comprehend the view from my splitting station, spend some time with Hunters in the Snow.
Geez this Norway project is big, and it has taken over my 2017. (I’m lucky for that.) When I laid it all out in my mind - two EPs, the crowdfunding video, the full length album, the lyric book, and all the custom songs - I wasn’t sure if I would actually get it all done. But now I’m close! Thank you for your support and thanks for tuning in. More coming soon.
