Recently I sat down with ReadysetDC, which is an online zine dedicated to the creative revolution and movement that is happening in Washington DC. We discussed the inspiration and history behind my music, we mused on the role that artists could play in Washington DC. We even went to the acclaimed National Gallery of Art and did a photo shoot in front of Henri Matisse’s giant and masterful cut-out La Négresse and the stunning West Garden Court within the museum.

But what was most exciting was our discussion around a challenge I’ve always wanted to issue to the District of Columbia: What would happen if 10,000 artists came to Washington DC for six months? How would this change the world? Check out the interview to learn more about this idea.

Thanks for the great interview ReadysetDC! And special thanks to writers Allyson Behnke, and photographers Tracy Clayton, Kris Krug, Danielle Barnett  |Mischiefphoto and Leslie Dreyer.

Yesterday I had a photo shoot at the National Gallery of Art in DC for the upcoming interview/story with ReadysetDC. We went to two locations, first was the “La Negresse” enormous cut-out by Henri Matisse. The other was this courtyard, which had AMAZING acoustics. I had to do it, I had to play Unabi… Allyson Behnke from ReadysetDC happened to capture the moment:

(The interview with ReadysetDC will be published next Monday, stay tuned for more…)

~ Monday, June 28th ~ 9:00am – 6:00pm ~

~ International Trade Center Amphitheater in Washington D.C. ~

Last week I went to the Gulf of Mexico. As I stood on the beach and watched the ocean, I heard a song in my mind. On June 28th in Washington DC, I will debut this song at the anticipated TEDxOilSpill event.

The song could be seen as a journey in 3 acts. Tempered with sadness, tense mystery, the angered explosions of dread, the courageous calls of warrior tribes… weeping, waiting, hoping, fearing, looking up, leaning forward… I practice the song I heard every day, and with each day its complexities increase. The song swells, contracts and expands, and holds its breath at times. It’s a living creature. Now I just need to give it a name.

Registration for TEDxOilSpill is donation-based. The guest speakers are spectacular, and I am honored to be a part of such a moment. We hope you can join us, and contribute to the solutions, understanding and mitigation of the Gulf Crisis.

For more information, or to follow the official TEDxOilSpill Expedition (comprised of photographers, journalists and filmmakers who are ‘going to the source’ to document a first hand report), visit http://tedxoilspill.com.

I will be performing twice during this evening event at the House of Sweden on Tuesday, June 22nd, and will start and end the program. Click here for details on the event.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Science, Living Systems, and the Edge of Change: A PopTech Salon”

From the cells in our bodies to the social worlds we inhabit, our lives are inundated with complex ‘living’ systems. A new generation of scientists is exploring, mapping, harnessing, and shaping these living systems. Their work has profound implications from conservation to medicine; social networking to environmental cleanup. In this special PopTech Salon you’ll meet scientists and researchers tackling such issues.

Hosted by Andrew Zolli; a reception to follow event.

SPEAKERS:

Beth Shapiro, the geneticist who is shedding new light on how species respond to environmental change.

Justin Gallivan, the biochemist who is ‘programming’ bacteria to eat pollution.

H. Sebastian Seung, the neuroscientist pioneering the quest for connectomes, precise and complete maps of neural connectivity in brains.

Yassar Ansari, who is using mobile technology for wildlife exploration and is bringing citizen science to the masses through Project Noah.

SPECIAL GUEST:

Christen Lien, the “viola artist” whose music has been described as “ethereal and otherwordly; a bridge to the divine.”

Please visit the Performances page to find out details on the event, or you can register with Pop!Tech here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dennis Hopper passed today. Upon thinking about his work, and others who were true poets, I stumbled upon this video of Dennis on The Johnny Cash Show, reading incredible and eternal poem If– by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). These words, and this performance, will indeed stand the test of time.

If you would like to read the poem, or learn more about Rudyard Kipling’s work, visit The Kipling Society.

~ RIP Dennis. Thank you for your work. You are a true, life and blood artist. ~

I was recently featured on The Derrick Ashong Experience, which is one of the shows on Oprah Radio. What an honor, what rich conversation… you can view the video interview below.

Please note that due to editing, there is 1:47 min of silence before the interview begins, due to commercial breaks.

I was seduced today, three times.

First, by this quote by Caroline Casey:

“May the entire world fall in love with a woman that changes their heart and may that woman be the Earth.”

::

Then, by this gem by Julie Daley.

This month, I was the featured artists for the United Divas (aka the Diva of the Month). It is an honor to be showcased by this amazing organization, whose mission is mission is “to empower people to be artistic leaders, professionals, innovators and role models for both aspiring and practicing artists, with an emphasis on helping women achieve their goals as a creative professional.”

Thank you for the love and support United Divas!

You can read the full interview here:

I recently read an except from the book A Chromatic Approach to Jazz Harmony and Melody by David Liebman, and wanted to share this with you:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Like all forms of communication, music consists of the interplay of patterns and violations of the pattern. Without order, sound is noise. But perfect order conveys no message, either. The C major scale carries little musical information because everyone knows exactly where it leads. It is the unexpected that sings to us, the note out of the blue, F sharp as the fourth of the C. But the unexpected cannot exist independently of the expectations it frustrates. Freedom needs an underlying order for it to sing.

The clearest example of transcendence and the given is the tension between the diatonic harmonies that form the basis of all Western art music through the nineteenth century and the chromatic elements that slowly encroached. In the early days it was termed the conflict between harmonies and invention.

Harmony binds the notes that follow; chromatic invention is the liberating knife. But the knife cuts keeply. There is no stopping point in the logic of the blade as it drives towards the absolute, which is entropy’s mortal chill – the incommunicate, random whiteness of noise.

Looked at another way, harmony is reason, dissonance the spirit of passion. Diatonic structure sustains a person’s sanity against the awful, chromatic knowledge of mortality. But only the chromatic can touch the unconscious and set loose its shattering forces.”

~ From The Best of Jackson Payne by Jack Fuller (A. Knopf, used by permission)

Recently Molly Peterson from NPR’s KPCC in Los Angeles recently did a 3-part multi-media story on my music, projects and activism work in climate… in celebration of Martin Luther King (who as an inspiration to this album), NPR showcased my work both on the air and online.

You can read/listen to the interview here.

Below is the video where I explain the motivations and inspiration behind each song from Vol. I: Battle Cry. Enjoy!