Sooj

Treasures and the brilliant women who make them

My birthday this year was one of epic and unexpected bling, handcrafted by other talented women. No complaints from me. 🙂

This piece was made and given to me by the beautiful Kelley Naylor Wise. Needless to say, I squealed at a frequency outside the capacity of the human ear when I opened it and held this gorgeous creature in my hands. Kelley is a dancer, a craftswoman, a fantastic friend, and a painter of no small skill. We’ve become very close very quickly, and I’m so glad. Check her out on Pinterest and Facebook.

Once I’d returned home from a family trip to the Caribbean, I found this beauty waiting for me.

This piece was an unexpected birthday gift from its maker, the lovely Bianca Havens. Bianca has an Etsy store called Paletree Arcana, filled with similar witchy, powerful amulets. Please do visit her treasure trove and give her your support. I can’t tell you how much this gift made my day. It’s incredible to receive something handmade by someone who thinks highly of you, and who wants to create and give you something that’s just perfect for you- something you’d never have thought to seek out for yourself.

Catching up: Brimstone Rhine

I must apologize for my extended blog silence. I spent the end of February struggling through a strep-like infection, and then I was out of the country for a few days. The former was awful, and the latter pretty much cured it. Yay for sunshine and the Caribbean! More on that later.

For now, I need to share another project in the works from another painfully brilliant friend of mine.

C. S. E. Cooney (and her mother, and her many delightful brothers, too) make my world a better place, more full of treasures and gifts. You’ll note that one of my favorite press quotes comes from her. Well, now it’s my turn: I know her primarily as a poet and author, but now she’s gone and written a whole slew of amazing songs! I have heard the demo tracks for the two EPs she has in mind, and they absolutely slay. If you like the thought of your Greek mythology and murder ballads done up in new and scintillating musical ways, do give this a click and a listen. It’ll be worth your time. If anyone ever sings to me the way that C. S. E. Cooney sings to Alecto in this project, I am done for. I’m telling you, click already.

Up the Portals!

Sharon Knight and her husband Winter have been incredibly good friends to me since we met, almost ten years ago. Their music has inspired me, their hugs have lifted me out of dark places, and their encouragement has kept me going. I like to think that I’ve given them the same gorgeous benefits. 🙂

The two of them have asked me to be part of their Portals project, a work-in-progress that’s already looking pretty darn stunning.
Their goal’s not far (20% of the funds have already been raised), and I encourage you to support their newest dream! It’s not just about getting another album of music ready to go out into the world. It’s about honoring the magic we make–something that not all of our listeners realize we practice every time we sing, write, or step onto a stage, together or apart. It’s part of our life force, and it’s the reason we’re here, dancing and singing and working to make our world a better one. The concept of Portals involves a band of “possibly dangerous” musicians, opening the Ways into magical worlds that are different from our own…but that’s not so very far from the truth of what we actually Do, when the lights go up.

I encourage you to check out Sharon and Winter’s music, as well as this enticing project.

Birthday Week Plans

Today: recording fujara samples and working on a demo song for a video game called Dragon!

Friday: Skype meetings about the video game and a project Heather Dale is working on.

Saturday: Finishing up a piece for my song prompt of the week, if I haven’t handled that by now, and performing in support of the Poison Into Medicine Art Show at Gallery 360 in Little Rock in the evening

Sunday: belly dance jam with my teacher Melissa! Oh yeah, and turning thirty-five (whoa). 🙂

Monday: massage!

Tuesday-Wednesday: possible visit with my mother, if she can work me in. 😉

Thursday: prep for my first-ever shows in Lawton, Oklahoma over the weekend! There are still a few tickets available for the Friday concert–grab yours here.

Blessed and successful Year of the Sheep to everyone! Hope your birthday plans this year are as sweet as mine. <3

Stolen Season CD Pre-orders!

Good news: I did manage to get the online pre-order working for the Stolen Season CD over the weekend! Use the player below to stream the mastered tracks, and click the little blue “buy” link to reserve your copy now. I’m hoping I’ll be able to ship everyone’s pre-orders on March 10. Fingers crossed!

<a href="http://music.sjtucker.com/album/stolen-season-2">Stolen Season by SJ Tucker</a>

Stolen Season Album Art!

I’m excited to show you the graphics that Kevin Wiley did for me for the Stolen Season CD release. 🙂 Kevin always does swift and gorgeous work, and he’s really pulled out all the stops this time! He and I have worked together for over ten years now, and I’m so glad to have his help with graphic design once again.

Art contributed by Elizabeth Jordan Leggett (she’s up for a few Hugos, so be sure to check out her nominated pieces if you’re eligible to vote for the Hugo Awards this year!) and Chaz Kemp, both of whom are fine people who are a delight to work with.

Photos contributed by Kirk Lanier and Sandra Buskirk, both of whom are amazingly talented, and who know talent in turn when they see it.

I’ll have pre-orders up at the store link as soon as I can! For now, feast your eyes, and if you haven’t listened to the pre-mastered mixes yet, you may do so at this link whenever you like! The art is under the cut for those of you viewing this post on my “Welcome” page. Just click “more”.

Hippie Pocket is Go!

Ginger Doss has been one of my favorite people since we met in 2005.

She’s also been part of all of my album projects since then, whether as my engineer and production advisor, or as a mixing consultant from far away when we can’t work side by side. She’s not just a friend to me. She’s a guru, confidant, voice of reason, collaborator, and a soul-sibling.

She’s taking some time in Houston to create a new album now, and rather than raise funds for it using existing crowdfunding platforms, she’s going entirely grassroots!

Check out the project at this link, and watch her pitch video below.

One of the tracks from her most recent, previous album:

Spinning, Dancing, Grinning

I’ve written two new songs in the past week. 🙂

That’s such a wonderful feeling, and even typing that sentence feels good.

I love writing and singing songs, and my entire world, inside and out, is a better place when I get to do those things.

Some of my colleagues are participating in #FAWM this month. I am not, but I have started a song-a-week commitment with a group of peers. It seems to have kicked me up even more of a notch than I thought it would!

I ranted a little bit on FB yesterday, very mildly, in response to a meme which implied that you cannot be both an adult and a musician. I was probably already predisposed to take that a little hard, because I’d been doing tax math for my bandmates and myself all afternoon, and math makes me cranky. I was doing adult stuff. In support of my music career, and it wasn’t fun. And if being an adult means you can’t play music, I think I’d better not be an adult. But I already know that I am one, who plays music professionally. Not everybody achieves adulthood two weeks before their 35th birthday, but I think I’m good.

There are people in every field with a work ethic. There are people in every field with no work ethic to speak of. There are people in every field, 9 to 5 job or not, who are somewhere in between, who do their dead level best as often as they possibly can. The best way I see to proceed is to show each other mutual respect– I don’t judge my friends who hold corporate jobs any more than they judge me. It’s harder to treat strangers that way, but I believe we still ought to try. It can be as simple as not posting or sharing a meme that cuts somebody down or generalizes them for having one career path or another.

Anyhow, the good news (besides the fact that the math actually made sense and was good for us all) is that I got the cutest new song out of it all- cute to the point that I was giggling and grinning immediately, all grumpiness forgotten.

I’m hoping to put up a little video of this one soon, to balance out the seriousness of my last video song post. Here are the lyrics, for now.

Call to Creative Collaborative Action!

One of my friends is calling for submissions for a chapbook!

We’ve got a mutual word-sister who’s always ready to drop everything and help the people she cares about, whether or not she’s met them face to face yet. Elizabeth inspires me, goes to bat for me, and works her tail off in law and in writing, whether it’s spec poetry, fiction, or legalese. She is editor, attorney, Lost Girl, monster girl advocate, and wordsmith goddess.

What she needs, and what Alexandra Erin’s anthology-to-be will hopefully bring, is help fixing her shoulder- fixing it despite the fact that her insurance only wants to cover physical therapy (debilitating in this case), not surgery (better-making in this case).

Check out Alexandra’s post, and send her something tasty if you wish! You may also send a money donation if you’d prefer.

Adventures and Appreciation

I’m starting on a new adventure this week, thanks to the lovely Bekah Kelso: a song-a-week project. Random writing prompts arrow into my inbox once a week, set to explode if I don’t deliver the goods by midnight of the following Sunday. The first prompt came in this morning, and I’m super excited! I’m hoping for good things for all of us who are participating in this.

Surely it’s auspicious to try something you’ve never done before on a day we celebrate the light. Sweet Imbolc to all of you who mark the holiday!

I spent last weekend at a small convention called Conflikt in the Seattle area (chin up, Seahawks fans, it’s all good). It’s a filk convention, attended and run by people who believe strongly in the spirit of supporting anyone and everyone who has a song to sing, no matter the subject or genre. Before you roll your eyes and fall back on whatever mental picture you may have of what a filk convention is like, just hit pause on that for a second. I don’t often have the time to attend any kind of con just for fun, so this was a rare treat for me. And it was worth it. You won’t believe the weekend I had.

-I and my bandmates got interviewed by a lovely musicologist last night.

-I taught a two-hour workshop on how to raise your awareness of the energy that music can create, how sound can change your immediate environment, and more. As many people as possible stayed all the way to the end. Those who stepped out did so because there were other things going on that they, themselves were scheduled to contribute their own music to. In spite of the fact that I’ve taught this particular class many times, I learned new things right along with my participants.

-I didn’t have my own concert this weekend, but I didn’t mind at all- I ended up guesting on bass, guitar, and vocals with all sorts of talented people, including several of my favorite human beings on the earth. Some of it was planned and rehearsed. Some of it was 100% last minute. All of it gladdened my heart and sent the quality of my day off the charts of Good.

-I heard plenty of songs and performers for the first time, well worthy of following and enjoying. (PDX Broadsides, I’m lookin’ at you!)

-I got a random chance to help someone learn how to play one of my own tunes, AND hear them pull it off in rehearsal!

-I sang on stage with my colleagues in ways I was afraid to try in the moment. I sang on stage in ways I’ve been afraid to try for a couple of years, while my voice has been shifting and changing and resettling, and my instrument held true. So true and so strong.

-I watched one of my dearest musical peers give everything he had, and then give even more, to the community that loves and attends this type of event, and I saw his magic spread through people, inspiring them and encouraging them again and again.

-I led a themed song circle of my own on Friday evening, and was pleasantly surprised to find it packed to the walls. All participants got a kick out of the theme and did wonderful things with it.

These are just the top few highlights, and only from my personal experience.

Heather Dale once described filk as “the music of us”. It’s the music of people who fiercely love the things they love, and who will celebrate those things by writing, singing, and/or sharing songs about them. It’s the music of people who dedicatedly record, chronicle, and applaud every single concert they attend or offer, no matter what happens. It’s the music of a community who loves and supports every one of its artists AND its amateurs (amateur is a word of love, not a word of derision) for life. For life.

I had such a wonderful time this weekend. 🙂