My April Newsletter
It’s April 
Spring makes me want to do crazy things, like cut all my hair off- or buy foreign language courses online so I can finally speak French like I’d always wanted.
Switching from nylon to steel string guitar is about as radical as I’ve gotten lately, but it does also take every ounce of self-control to keep from visiting The Music Emporium in Lexington & buying a new one.
Preferably with a bird inlay.
But I’m saving my pennies so I can record my new album next month!
Here are the shows I have planned for April- a couple are rescheds from when we were snowed out. I think we should have no more snow days, knock on wood!
April 11 The Speakeasy under Local 121- Providence, RI with Ryan Lee Crosby & The Sugar Honey Iced Tea
What a bill!
8 pm $6 easy dollars
Event Here
April 13 Out Of The Blue Art Gallery, Cambridge, MA- Karen Zanes & Kelly Spyglass- Siren Night, for the Sailors.
Bring food, byob drink Poetry/music open mic to start & music to follow
7 pm $5 suggested donation
April 18 The Greenwich Hotel Songwriter Series, East Greenwich, RI – with the amazing Haunt The House. Hosted by Mark Greenwood, this will be a beautiful night in a sweet room. New to me, maybe you?
See you there, West Bay.
9 pm Free
April 27 The Church Street Coffeehouse , Warren, RI- with my dear friends Kim Lamothe & Christopher Moon. It’s my annual show, & of course Kim is joining me. We’ve been doing this since 2007, but it will be my first solo show since then.
Pretty sure I can play decent guitar.
8pm $12
I hope to see you, this will be my last full booking month, especially for local shows- so I can concentrate on recording.
More news on that, later …
Lots of love,
& a few flowers,
Allysen
My March Newsletter
Dear friends,
I know someone who says that once March is here, it seems like Winter is over. I just like driving home at 5:00 & it’s light out again
Soon, the flowers come…well, pretty soon.
March got a little crazy with bookings, I have 6 shows. I might be playing near you?
Lately I have been playing steel string guitar , I have lots of new songs in new tunings!
Many will be on my next album, which I plan on recording in May.
March 2 – ZirZamin- NYC-
a subterranean music club lit by candles, is an intimate little room that sounds very enchanting. I cannot wait. Please help me spread the word about this show? I only am able to come to NYC once a year, so this will be a very special night.
More info Here
March 4- Rhode Island PBS at Its Best: Local and Legendary Bands, and The MET with Rudy Cheeks.
The legendary Bruce McCrae aka Rudy Cheeks has asked me & a few other RI musicians to join him on Public Broadcasting Station channel 36, where he is also working on a music show, I am so very honored.
I’ll be going on at about 9:58 – right after the great Mark Cutler!
More info Here
March 7th- Greenwich Hotel & Lounge East Greenwich, RI- It’s a songwriter series hosted by Mark Greenwood. I’ve never played here before, should be fun!
West Bay, see you soon.
***BREAKING NEWS**** this show has been rescheduled to April 18 , due to snowstorm****
See you in the Spring xo
March 15th- AS220, Providence , RI
- with Matt Everett , The Killdevils, & William Moretti of Denver Boot. A spooky, bluesy, folky night of good folk!
More info Here
March 27thThe Haven, JP, MA- HOOTENANNY. That’s right, I am hosting a hootenanny in JP. This will be a totally new experience for me, & it would be super wonderful to see your friendly face, & if you have a guitar BRING IT.
More info Here
Hoot.
March 30th Tavern at the End of the World
- with Ryan Lee Crosby & Ora Cogan. TATEOTW has become one of my favorite places to play, they have a cozy little back room, with a fireplace. Lots of yummy things to eat & drink ~ & I’d love to see you there.
Whew! Busy hands…see you soon.
Love,
Allysen
PS: I have been putting up new songs on my Soundcloud…these demos will shape into my next album. Free Streaming & Downloadable for a short time…
https://soundcloud.com/allysencallery
My February Newsletter 2013
Hello dear folks,
I am writing to you from New England, where it was 60 degrees yesterday & is 32 today, & that is totally normal…!
After a month of feeling famous because local strangers smiled at me more often, & folks I saw in town said how they saw my picture “everywhere”,
The Bay magazine now has a different cover-girl (I think it’s a steak) &
I am back to strange underground obscurity, where I am most comfortable.
As part of an effort to slow down, I just have 3 shows booked in February- but they are all goodies.
Feb 2, Tavern at the End of the World , Charlestown, MA- with the incredible Will Houlihan aka Haunt the House.
Free show & you sit drinking/eating in a cozy room with fireplace ~what could be nicer?
108 Cambridge Street, Charlestown, MA
10 pm
Feb 9, The Church Street Coffeehouse, Warren, RI- with dear friends Kim Lamothe & Christopher Moon.
It’s my annual show at Church Street Coffeehouse, & there will be a pin-drop listening room,
brownies & other treats.
Located in the First Methodist Church basement
25 Church St, Warren , RI
Doors 7:30
$12
Feb 21 , The Aldrich House, Providence , RI- with Ian Fitzgerald.
There are a few local gems & Ian is one of them, beautiful songcraft, excellent hair. We are playing in historical Nelson W. Aldrich house, which should be a real treat.
110 Benevolent Street
7:00 pm Showtime
& that’s it!
In other news, I am in talks with a New Studio to record my next album, & I am writing a lot lately on my husband’s steel string guitar.
Here is a new instrumental, free stream & download.
Lots of Love,
Allysen
My January 2013 Newsletter
Dear musical friends ,
I write to you with frozen fingers & busted kneecaps- I sledded into a telephone pole last night.
Was really fun up until that!
I have a little news, you might see my mug around town if you live in the east bay of RI.
If not, check me out on the cover of The Bay magazine.
I have a few shows for January…
January 3, Fête , Providence, RI- I will be playing a solo set with some of Providence’s elite- Caroline Hecht, Sara Azriel, & Tyler James Kelly of The Silks.
Lots of collaboration & amazing sound system….will be a concert not to miss.
Doors 7:30
$6
January 12th- The Coffee Loft, Malbororough, MA-
A night of solo folk, in a cozy little room in a very nice coffee shop!
Show starts at 7:00
Tip Jar
January 19th- Common Fence Point, Portsmouth, RI-The annual Fiddlers & Fishermen concert.
MC Jacob Haller heads a cast of many to sing songs O’ the Sea & drink a wee bit , also picnic down in the way you desire.
Doors 6:30
$15 advance & at the door- but it sells out every year, plan ahead!
January 26- Out of the Blue art gallery, Cambridge, MA
One of my favorite rooms, poetry to start, music to follow, with good friends Karen Zanes & Amber Spyglass.
A night of psyche & folk
Doors 7:00 ish
Pass the hat
A little treat- my lovely label Woodland Recordings has compiled an end of the year compilation of field recordings, I am on a track which was recorded live in Hamburg, Germany-
Thank you so much for listening & coming out to shows. I especially love playing House Concerts, so if you might like to host one, or would like to know how it’s done- please write back!
Lots of Love,
Allysen
December 22, 2012
I played Jake Haller’s annual Holiday show last night, it is upon You Tube if you’d like to see the whole thing.
This year no one got naked in the background- but it was still a really good time.
Here is the YouTube link
I also had worked out a new Christmas cover & posted it on my Soundcloud. Both my labels Woodland Recordings & JellyFant reposted it , with Stephen’s quote that it would probably be the quietest Christmas song you’ll hear this year.
Judge for yourself 
Christmas for all it’s jolly & lights can be really surrealistically awful when you are going through a personal hell.
So my heart goes out to the grievers. You are thought of, with love.
My December newsletter
Dear Sweater-Wearers,
I don’t know about you, but I love when the weather gets cold. I am a big fan of boots, sweaters, neck scarves & all the wonderful savory Winter meals…
I will also be singing my Wintry songs for a few shows this month~ even one which will be broadcast live on the internet, so even those of you who might live very far away might be able to join in.
Dec 1- The Brooklyn Coffee & Teahouse, Providence, RI
Dec 7- Gallery 263, Cambridge, MA
More info Here on the event page
Dec 21-The Internet- wherever you are!
More infor Here on the event page
I am also playing a private house party at Small Axe on the 23rd, so see you there.
If you would like to be there & did not get an invite, why not ask them? Website http://www.fantasticumbrellafactory.com
I hope to see you soon, just also to let you know my label Woodland Recordings is now selling their extremely lovely & limited edition copies of both The Summer Place & The double CD of Winter Island /The Summer Place, with handblown vintage DDR glass vials filled with flower seeds here on my Bandcamp
Also, JellyFant Schallplatten offers Winter Island/The Summer Place together on a beautiful vinyl release, designed by the artists Detlef Kelbassa Corinna Kuhn, of the surreal art of
KELBASSA’S PANOPTIKUM
Happy Holidays & lots of love,
Allysen
My November newsletter
Dear Friends,
I had a fantastic tour in Germany & Switzerland, even an amazing night where a rowdy bar turned very quiet~ just for me.
There were lots of hugs, train rides, walks through cobblestone streets carrying a big rucksack on my back, a guitar in one hand & 20 LPs in the other.
Everybody was so kind, & I really just love being on tour.
But I love being home, especially when I get to play…
11/ 10 – Stone Soup!!!
I cannot tell you how honored & thrilled I am to play for the good folks at Stone Soup! I open for bigtime folkie Garnet Rogers.
11/19 – ZuZu in Cambridge- with Blackwolfgoat, & Quarterly….Music to get lost to.
11/23- The Tavern at the End of the World- with Haunt the House .
I have wanted to play this place for the longest time, & I get to share the stage with one of my very favorite artists. He is incredible.
It’s the day after Thanksgiving, so gather up the out of town relatives & have a pumpkin beer with us!
Of course, I will have copies of my new CD from Woodland Recordings & also VINYL from JellyFant-
the record is getting beautiful reviews & if you want to hear what some folks are saying,
here are a few….
Happening Magazine/ShinDig review
November, 4th 2012
On this date I played Sully’s Cafe for the second time.
Fun Fact: The first show I did for them was episode 18, & this one was 118!
If you follow this link you can hear, or even download the whole show…there are also 4 videos to follow that are pretty special.
How are they special?
Well, for some reason my nylon string guitar was making the equipment buzz, so I played the whole show on steel string (first time!)
The lighting was a little low, but you can hear the music….
my friend Emiel from Amsterdam says it makes the Snow Pony sound even more Arctic.
Gaesteliste.de Internet-Musikmagazin also just reviewed Winter Island/The Summer Place, saying via Google Translate “feel the icy wind in your face, and can hear the snow crunch as it were under the shoes are”
an image I thought was extremely lovely.
I am going to be playing more steel string in the future, & creating more Wintry music…
Snow crystals on your mittens x
October, 2012
What did I do in October?
Well, I released Two Albums!!
I know, it’s kind of cheating because Winter Island was an EP last year, but it was also released again with The Summer Place by
JellyFant Schallplatten (That’s JellyFant Records to you & me) .A vinyl only record label!
Also, my beloved Woodland Recordings released The Summer Place on cd, with an additional double cd of Winter Island/The Summer Place on a very limited run (I sold out on tour).
They might still have some, though!
I also went on tour with Stephen Burch aka The Great Park. We did 10 dates in Germany & Switzerland.
There was a lot of music, laughs, walks down cobblestone streets & sausages.
I will be updating this site with pictures in the days to come~
xo
September 12, 2012
Woodland Recordings has released the first song from the new release The Summer Place~ hear it here
The artwork pictured is from the JellyFant LP, which is coming out in tandem with Woodland Recordings’~ & I am psyched & excited & humbled & joyous.
August 14, 2012
My passport renewal is in the mail…
Myles says the tracks for the new EP will be ready over this coming weekend.
Every day I do Jillian Michaels dvds so I am not another fat American in Europe.
& I have seen the hummingbird two times this Summer, & each time it is like the most wonderful miracle.
June 20, 2012
Are you thinking you’d like to hear some music on this happy day? My incredibly complex & beautiful musical family at Woodland Recordings have gathered together for you…
June 12, 2012
I WON!!!!!!
“Best Acoustic /Singer-Songwriter 2012 ~The Providence Phoenix Best Music Poll”
Thank you so much for your votes, I love my “Golden BiMPy” !xxooo
I was pretty nervous when I went up to get my prize, so I’d like to thank The Providence Phoenix , especially Chris Conti, & Bruce McCrae (aka Rudy Cheeks) for all the great press, my label Woodland Recordings, & my husband Ted for inspiring many of my best songs.
& thank YOU all for voting for me, it meant so much!!!
June 7, 2012
Well, our first show as Allysen Callery & The Night Kitchen went pretty well~! My husband Ted took some videos on his iphone,
here is the old song “Brown Eyed Susan” from my first album Hopey.
A little rough, but you can get the general idea…
Kelly Cleveland does some lovely harmony with me, & Derek Escher plays some pretty mandolin.
I’ve been wanting to have both these wonderful additions for years, so it was a fantastic find to meet them both when I’d practiced with Red Eye Flight, their main
band.
All of REF is so fantastic, I wish I could have asked every one of them to play~ but I have to be true to my long time bass player, Brendan Whipple, aka Whipz.
Aka Eric.
I really love singing with Kelly~ here we are doing a little high-five after laying out some especially nice harmonies …
I know we’ll get better with time, & hope we can make this last awhile…!
Next show together is June 29 at Firehouse 13!
May 18th, 2012
I’ve been busy, busy,busy…just like the evil magician in Frosty the Snowman. Only not evil, of course.
What am I up to?
I have finished recording my New Album!! Which will be out this Fall under Woodland Recordings,
just in time for me to fly back to Germany & tour with The Great Park in early October.
Someone mentioned to me there might be a little beer festival there in October?
Hmm? Should I be worried??
Just so I don’t spend the whole Summer pining for my upcoming Euro tour, I’ve planned a little New England tour with the lovely Anna Coogan.
She is wonderful & if you live in Brooklyn, Providence, Cambridge or Biddeford~ we are coming to your town!
I’ve been nominated by The Providence Phoenix for Best Acoustic/Singer-Songwriter Act for the first time this year!
If you are so inclined, please Vote for me HERE
Did I mention I finished recording for my New Album just last Wednesday? I did?
Did I say it sounds pretty nice?
Well, I think so!!
Oh , YEAH! More news~ I have put together a NEW BAND! Allysen Callery & the Night Kitchen!
Featuring Brendan Whipple (from Land of Nod) on upright bass, Derek Escher on Mandolin & ambient electric guitar, & Kelly Cleveland on back up vocal harmonies.
We already have 3 shows booked, & I am very excited to be able to fill rooms with a nice, big sound.
Though I will still haunt you with my skeletal sound in solo gigs, as they are my bread & butter.
I am in a good mood, & pretty happy~ I hope you are,too!
March 30th, 2012
WOW.
This past month has been so jam packed with loads of interesting & fun gigs…!
There is something homey about going back to favorite venues ( & YES, Local 121 is giving me an date May 9th & I Can’t Wait- !)
But there is something extraordinary about playing somewhere completely New.
For new people.
I absolutely Loved playing on Block Island, my husband was able to come with me, & we got a lot of walking & hiking in…on a real Winter Island.
Ted forgot his hat , so the pastor’s wife let him borrow her’s. Cute!
The house concert in Newport turned out to be a costume themed “Beatnik Hawaiian” & I wished I still had/could fit into the Dorothy LaMour dress I wore in high school…alas.
So I just wore black, like usual.
Here is a pic of me playing
Photo credit Allison Pharmakis
I also got some new promo pix taken by Allison’s student
Jesse Golding, which I will be saving for new press & flyers~
because~
Recording has begun for the New Album!
Myles got about 3-4 keeper tracks out of me last night, & when I return next Thurs (cross fingers)
we’ll get the rest.
I am excited.
The next European tour looks like early October 2012, & hopefully will take me through Paris, Belgium , Switzerland & Germany.
Crossing fingers on that, too…
IF YOU happen to be a booker for a venue in France or Belgium, please get in touch
allysencallery@yahoo.com
I’d love to see you xoo
March 4th, 2012
Wow, look at me posting three blogs in a row!
Last night’s show with Red Eye Flight & my best bud Kim Lamothe was an absolute blast~
We had a big beautiful audience , & the meeting house in Tiverton was so gorgeous.
Here are a couple videos if you couldn’t make it!
My version of Long Black Veil, with Kelly Cleveland on harmony.
& I’ll Fly Away~ see Kim mugging it up, & her love Christopher Moon on harmonica~ it’s easy to see why I love these guys. Red Eye Flight really kicks it here, too I thought!
Very fun night ! :0)
March 3, 2012
Tonight I’m doing a few things that I don’t usually do…One is I’m singing backed by a full band!
Yes, even drums….
(Or sorta~ the fellow plays with a kind of key-tar drum kit strapped to him)
But it is the H-A-R-M-O-N-Y that I am really looking forward too (ok, the mando,too)
I am psyched.
Also, I am being billed as a “Mystical Songstress”~ which I asked my most mystical friend about, & she said go with it.
Next up, spectral.
March 2, 2012
Lately I’ve been writing a lot of songs on a steel string, using the DGDGBD tuning.
Some shred of humility makes me a little embarrassed to show up at gigs with two guitars, but I think I really need to get over this. Some songs just sound really nice on steel strings!
The tuning is really nice, too~very much like flying, & if you close your eyes you can imagine it.
This month I’ve been asked to play my first house concert (called Private Submarine) , which I think is the way to go for a musician like me.
There are just not enough small rooms (at least in RI) that are willing to showcase quiet-er music, for small crowds who like to be still, sip alcohol & listen to beautiful, strange & interesting music.
I do play coffeehouses, but that is not the same~ ambiance-wise. I like alcohol! & alcohol likes me.
I sound a Lot better if we’ve both had some wine.
Cheers to that!
February 16, 2012
Guess who is recording tonight at Black Hole Infinity Sound Studios?
???
Me.
January 26th, 2012
In 2004 my sister Durga gave me a record called “Ballads of Living and Dying” by a woman who used to live in Providence, RI~ but I’d never met.
At the time I was very reclusive (ok, I still am) but this woman’s music resonated so strongly within me.
Her name is Marissa Nadler, & she has since become one of my favorite musicians~she is jaw dropping on stage & in person,
an amazing guitar player & beyond angelic voice.
So, I am so incredibly honored that Marissa Nadler would turn the tables & interviewed Me for We Listen For You…
Here is the link if you are interested : Marissa Nadler interviews Allysen Callery
I loved her questions , & she is such a wonderful writer, it was such a huge honor for me. )))
January 24th, 2012
You might know that I write weird little songs that don’t always go over so well when I try to sing in noisy places like clubs,
or maybe get overlooked when I am warbling in coffeehouses & people order foamy cappucinos…
I don’t always get written back to when I try to book myself in some of the ‘cool places’, or even ‘not so cool’ places.
I am not the hip kid in Providence.
Really? Nope.
But I saw something today that made me think that at least ONE person out there thinks I’m special (besides me, I think I’m great!)
& I am grateful.
WFMU DJS PICK FAVORITES OF 2011
Jeffrey Davison, I love you. Thank you for brightening my day ~ this will last a long while.
January 16, 2012
January’s gigs have come in a little cluster~ I am playing 3 shows in 5 days. Plus 2 more in the last week…
One of the shows in particular was a nail biter~I LOVE this night, & I look forward to it all year, but also the thought of playing that room makes my blood run cold because it’s such a big deal, you know?
So, I played it on Saturday, & found they’d put me next to last…which is a huge honor & also made me die a little, because that meant I had to be nervous all night!
But the room was so friendly, & indeed I had many of my best friends with me~the musicians Kim Lamothe , Christopher Moon & Jacob Haller, I knew it would be ok especially since I had Brendan Whipple backing me up on bass.
I do start out a little nervous, huh? I smile when I mess up the chord progression in the beginning …
You’d never know there were 180 people in that pin-drop room, it was awesome , & I can’t wait to play again next year! (eek!) xxo
December 20, 2011
I played a really fun holiday show last night at my good friend Jacob Haller’s~ it was a live internet broadcast, & it was fun to see comments scrolling down as I played~
even some from friends in England & Amsterdam, which I Know was really late for them!
If it was too late for you, or you missed it~ here is the whole show , which is now archived on Jake’s webpage, & also now here:
Chris Monti gives a little breakdown of the sets:
The show is 2.5 hours long. The rough break-down of sets is:
0:00:01 Jake Haller
0:26:00 Allysen Callery
0:46:00 Timothy Alexander
1:07:00 Jake’s Haller
1:09:28 Jake Haller’s priceless double-take when he notices the Ted Hayes / Chris Monti side-show
1:11:00 Jake’s set resumes with full vigor
1:33:00 Chris Monti
1:59:00 Jenny White
2:23:00 Jake Haller
Yes, you may notice there was a side show…my husband Ted & Chris stripped & started waving there shirts around, just to make the ever stoic Jacob Haller lose his stuff, & he did,
mission accomplished!
Here’s what you don’t see on the video camera!
Happy Holidays, everyone :0) xoxoxo
November 10, 2011
My husband Ted is many things, & sometimes he is a fisherman who finds rainbows:
When you find a rainbow, you are supposed to look for the pot o’ gold, but instead of Ted finding it,
I found it, last night in Westerly.
I met 3 new-to-me musicians, all were excellent.
They were, in order,
Glenda Luck
Cat-Tooth Jim
Will Houlihan (Haunt the House)
It was very refreshing to play a lovely night, in a town I’d never been in, in a venue that was gorgeous (Perks & Corks),
& see again how our tiny Rhode Island has such deep pockets of talent.
Here’s hoping our golden paths cross again & again.
November 8, 2011
So, turns out Mono is a preliminary test result for Lyme Disease…
Did you know that? I did not know that!
Anyhow, I’ve been on the Doxy for a couple weeks & I feel LOADS better! have played 3 shows this month so far
(yeah, I picked up a surprise twofer when I’d played the Apt last Fri)
Last night I got to be on http://www.990wbob.com/ with my old friend Kris Hansen (Viking Jesus)
& then we went back to the Apartment for Drop-Out Night,
where I drank three Shipyard Pumpkinhead beers (with the sugar cinnamon rims, et al).
Now, you may know I am not really much of a beer drinker, but I drink beer at The Apt, because their list is stellar.
Cheers!
October 24th, 2011
It’s the end of October, possibly my favorite month out of the year…& I’ve missed out on most of it’s beauty
because (turns out) the reason I’ve been feeling so awful the past few weeks is I have Mono.
& I did not even kiss anybody! (except my husband Ted, who feels fine)
Anyhow, I’ve played 4 shows feeling crummy, so if you saw me this month I’ll be better next time~
In the meantime, here is a playlist from my dear Shrunken Planet
Click to listen here.
My stripped down version of Grey Wolf from Woodland Recordings “Home Taping is Music II” is featured right next to Meg Baird & Bonnie Prince Billy,
which makes me happier than you could ever know.
Be well, wear a little scarf around your neck & walk in the woods & look for mushrooms for me,
& I’ll see you next month.
xo
October 19th, 2011
Yesterday I got to visit my old Alma Mater, School One~ which was the alternative high school that saved my life,
helped me grow & first encouraged me to be a musician.
My favorite teacher, Lon E Plynton (The Mystic Jammers) had contacted me & asked if I would talk to the kids about being a musician.
I said yes immediately, then was a little afraid I might be a bad influence.
Tell my story?
In high school I did everything you are not supposed to do. I was a real anti-authoritarian & surely had a death-wish~ refusing to take an SAT since I was sure college was for rich kids & swots.
Not for parent-less, surely to be dead by 25 little creeps like me.
I did come in, tell the truth & answered all questions.
I skipped around how being bullied by students & some teachers at my prior high school left me washed up on School One’s doorstep, how a lack of self/esteem let other people dictate how I should act, & live my life.
I did say how the guitar went under my bed for 7 years.
Why am I so old just cutting my first albums, & getting out into the world?
I was locked in an enchanted tower.
There was a spell.
I was oppressed.
I came into my own.
All good answers….
If you do want to hear what I told the kids, I’ll put the link up here.
But what I do want to say, is~ being in that pin-drop room, with about 100 of the most beautiful people in the world, wearing knit caps & being silent & kind , listening with their entire beings~
was indeed perhaps the most important & special show of my life.
Thank you, School One (for existing) & thank you School One’rs for being incredible examples of what humans should be.
Oct 1st, 2011 Saturday Morning
Today is a happy morning for me, Shrunken Planet has aired the studio session/interview I did with them at WFMU & here is the link:
right here
Lots of personal history & sweetness from a very kind DJ~thank you, Jeffrey Davison.
September 26th, 2011
A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of taping a little interview with one of my very favorite DJs, Jeffrey Davison of WFMU.
He does a show called Shrunken Planet on Sat mornings, which to my delight is archived so you can listen to his shows whenever you feel like some interesting music~ experimental, psych, folk, old timey , & more than I can say…all really awesome!
Here is the link if you’d like your mind expanded Shrunken Planet
He writes: Saturday, October 1st, 6am – 9am: Allysen Callery
” Rhode Island singer-songwriter Allysen Callery recorded a live session at FMU recently, and this will be aired Saturday, October 1st. Her third release, “Winter Island”, from Woodland Recordings in [ Berlin] , presents her singing and nylon-string guitar playing in beautiful, stark relief, and evokes much the same spirit of the great folk albums of the 1970s. Her songwriting, always poetic, has found an even deeper level, one that conjures not only the flavor of the UK and Irish folk revival but the magic of the old songs themselves.”
So, listen in Oct 1st, & you will hear some stripped down stark versions of Hobgoblin’s Hat, & some from Winter Island~ also a new, unrecorded song which made Jeffrey say “Now I’m scared!”.
Find out why…
September 23, 2011
So, what do you know but my label
Woodland Recordings has put out a compilation of it’s beloved artists & friends & called it Home Taping Is Music Vol. 2 & I am lucky enough to be on that list.
If you are interested, contact as soon as you can~ there are only 100 copies of this special little cd, & knowing WR, it will not be downloadable.
I’ve been listening to my copy non-stop since I got it, I am not even sick of my own song, yet.
August 18, Thursday 2011
My dear friends at Woodland Recordings have released a whole concert that I did in Berlin last May, at Ursula Montinaro~
a wonderful night where I was reunited with my missing pocketbook (& all it’s contents) thanks to a sweet & honest German citizen I never got to meet, but am indebted to forever.
Here is the link: Live Allysen Callery in Berlin
It’s Free, has pictures & whatnot~ & represents a wonderful night in a week I’ll never forget.
Thank you to Stephen, aka
The Great Park, aka Woodland Recordings~ who has my everlasting gratitude.
August 15th, Monday 2011
Do I have any musical news? I guess so~! There is always stuff going on…
Woodland Recordings has indeed sold out of the last of the Winter Island cds, they did such a beautiful job packaging them &
I can’t wait to start recording on my next release.
Or release(s) since one will be a covers album of Traditional British Isles music, which I grew up listening to~
Steeleye Span, Pentangle & Fairport Convention, but also some Anne Briggs & other songs which I came to hear later thanks to the power & magic of the Interwebs.
You know how much I love Alasdair Roberts, & his version of Huntly Town…
It is love-l-y.
I’ve put up a few home recorded demos on a Sound Cloud, it’s under my real name so it’s easy to find~
There is also the demo of Young Edwin , which has me talking & laughing like a lunatic in the beginning.
There is a swear word uttered, be forewarned.
I am pretty sure we got the song in one take? If not we should have.
It was the first song I’d learned to play finger-style, however my picking method evolved into something much stranger than my teacher taught.
& there is my judgement of success:
No one tells you “You’re doing it wrong” anymore.
More news? Goals?
I’m heading out to play in the Boston/Cambridge area more often~ & have taken a few open mike features to make that happen.
Please come see me, esp if you are a new musician~ I will never tell you ‘you’re doing it wrong’.
Lots of love,
Allysen
July 13, Wednesday 2011
I had some great news today, my little song Winter Island was picked one out of 3 favorite new songs of 2011 by one of my favorite musicians, Marissa Nadler.
She says ” Allysen Callery: “Winter Island”. This one is not very well known; she’s kind of like a female Nick Drake, and her name is Allysen Callery. Her new EP is not a big scale release, but it has one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. She’s great, kind of unknown but wonderful.”
If you’d like to read more, here is the whole article here:
Marissa Nadler’s Guestlist on Pitchfork
I can’t thank her enough for her support, especially for Winter Island~ it means the world to me, & I feel so very honored.
July 12, Tuesday 2011
So, you know how I’d said “never shall I tw*t” , I kind of am , now…
If you Tweet, & want to follow me, here is my little link
Follow me on Twitter!
& I guess I should go think up something interesting to say…
huh??
THE PRESSURE.
June 27th, Monday, 2011
Tonight I am heading to Cambridge, MA~ to play the illustrious
Cantab as their featured artist.
When I was still a tender young thing (about 7 years ago) & first starting out , I used to drive out to the Cantab to play the open mic …sometimes it would get very late before they’d call your name…
& I’d fall asleep while waiting with my head on someone’s shoulder.
Tonight I return, to sing my songs of murder & woe~with tender love.
June 25th, Saturday,2011
So,last night was the New Music Festival at the Artist’s Exchange~ it so happened that two of my closest friends were also booked on Friday , & we all got to see each other play~ we were all on different stages,Kim in the Cafe, Chris Moon in the basement acoustic stage & me in the Black Box Theatre.
Kim took video of me,since I’d just written a new song the morning of the day before~
& some of my faraway Facebook friends wanted to hear it.
But not everyone is on Facebook, & maybe you would like to hear it, too?
& if I be a bird
When the Huntsman came
home
it was nearly Spring
…I opened my door
& gave him the last of our bread
but the cheese
I’d made ~I hid from him
because I didn’t love him
& if you be the wolf
with the wolfskin on your back
who howls for the night
& looks with red eyes …
Will I be the bird
with the broken wing?
& will I sing?
The Huntsman lays down
with his boots upon
my white bed
& when I said a word
he threw the flint at my head
Now my daughter sleeps
out in the woods
& my son won’t speak
& if you be the wolf
with the pointed teeth
who snarls when he speaks
with fetid breath
Will I be the bird
that pecks out your eyes?
& flies
June 20th, Monday, 2011
Last Tues was the Providence Phoenix awards night, I’d been nominated for the 3rd time for Best Female Vocals,
& once again, so was my best girl friend Kim Lamothe.
Kim also got asked to play, which I was super psyched for her~to get on a big stage & rock out is something she sure can do, but I can’t!
(I like little stages & quiet rooms…)
Of course, I already had a gig lined up for that night, but luckily she went on early, & I got to see the magic:
Kim & I both started playing out in 2004/2005~ we split gigs because neither one of us had a full 2 hour set.
We played to 5 people, we played to less.
We split the hat.
& now she has an awesome band~The Kim Lamothe Tree-Oh .
& I got to go play in Europe.
We didn’t win any awards, but we are still winning…If you have something you want to do,
go do it! xxo
June 10th, Friday, 2011
This was taken last night by Don Tassone, at his lovely 4 Corners series at The Mediator.
We had a very sweet, though very quiet night~ & Don generously shared what little he’d collected with us “for gas money”.
We had all 3 driven 45 minutes to get there, so that was really helpful.
I was happy to play with my good friends,
Kim Lamothe &
Christopher Moon. Kim sang a song about when she first laid eyes on Chris (her partner of 5 years) which I knew well, as I’d been there that night, too.
We were playing an open mic~ I was just starting to date Ted, & we were raw as cucumbers.
But we thought we were pickles….
June 7th, Tuesday, 2011
There is a national treasure called WFMU, that you might know… “WFMU is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, broadcasting at 91.1 (and at 90.1 as WMFU) MHz FM, presenting a free-form format. It is the longest-running free-form radio station in the U.S.”
~Wikipedia
The DJs choose what music to play~ & my favorite show is Shrunken Planet, with the knowledgeable & very charming Jeffrey Davison spinning alt folk from Joanna Newsome , Sufjan Stevens , Michael Hurley , Bob Dylan & even more obscure artists like yours truly…
On this show he says some very nice things about me & Winter Island & after my song, he proceeded to play tracks from folk legends Anne Briggs, Vashti Bunyan & Sibylle Baier because
he said I inspired him to do so.
So now I can die, my work is done.
June 6th, Monday , 2011
A Tale of Two Peas….
It just so happens that two new videos for my song Pea Green Boat popped up this week…
One solo in Kiel, Germany, at the lovely Prinz Willy
& one with Brendan Whipple, & Tania Alexandra in Providence, RI at Firehouse 13~ for the Jess Powers Project show Chanteuse
So which do you like?
June 3rd, Friday, 2011
One of the things about life is constant Change.
No, not the stuff that falls out of your husband’s pockets on wash days, but one day you are playing your favorite venue in Providence,
& the next they are only booking national acts on weekends.
You could get bummed, or you could roll with it & LO!
There is a NEW & absolutely Beautiful new venue , & guess what? They are booking musicians!
Local ones = heart, heart!
So, I love you Temple, & I think we will be good friends.
May 25 Wednesday, 2011
I think I thought I was going to blog alot more in Europe! We just traveled a Lot, internet access was spotty, & I send more than a couple emails to my daughter & husband combined.
Trains were sometimes too crowded to pull out a laptop to even write a blog for later~& my computer was often not charged since guess who didn’t have proper plugs for Switzerland?
BUT
I learned alot!
I learned, it doesn’t matter what you wear during the day, Rockstar~
bring comfy clothes, & SNEAKERS next time,
because I’ve been home 2 weeks now & my blisters are still healing.
Just because your daughter’s shoes were worn by Her, does not mean they are broken in to Your foot.
Ahem.
Beer tastes good, you just don’t like Porter. Sorry, Porter drinkers.
Wine still tastes better.
The Brazillion blow-out was Totally worth it, could not have survived frizz free if not for that, thank God I had a 75% Groupon.
Next time, I will bring an iphone~ computer & camera combined. No computer bag/laptop would have been super to not lug!
You can drink a small river of bier, & eat your weight in sausages, & still come home smaller if you are lugging all that stuff, so maybe it’s worth it to you, I don’t know.
Get booked with someone you like, traveling with someone & listening to them every night is heaven or hell,
depending.
I met Stephen & within 1 second knew he would be awesome. I missed hearing him when I got home & have his cd playing in my car.
The only drawback is he lives a million miles away, over an ocean~ & we won’t be able to play as many shows together as I’d like,
but hopefully we will play together again, someday.
German audiences are amazing. Stone silent. Beautiful.
I must return to Thun with my husband because seeing sights like that without kisses to go with it was very sad!
But lovely.
I’ll never forget the kind folks I met, the skate park at midnight, Stephen telling me my suitcase was ridiculous, my first band flat,
salami for breakfast, beer as an afternoon treat…& you could drink them on the street!
Alll my pix are on Facebook, because I am so lazy…
here is the link:
My first Euro Tour/Germany & Switzerland with The Great Park 2011
May 10 Tuesday, 2011
We’re on the train from Berlin to Munchen (Munich) ~ the landscape beginning to get hilly, Stephen is busy making up packets of his last cd, which he put out last January~
which he named Winter. Copy cat!
Ok, I guess mine wasn’t named yet, so I’m the copy-cat…
I am in a state of bliss, other than when I start to type a castle, or magnificent hill , or lovely old church springs into view & I scramble for my camera, only to have the view turn to trees .
I’ve opened my salami sandwich , my third in 5 days~ did you know Germans put butter on meat sandwiches? They do.
My original goal for tour was a sausage a day, but we skipped yesterday~ after eating so much cr@p , drinking so much beer, & smoking so many German cigarettes called Gauloise, I thought I needed grilled chicken.
Did you know when you get grilled chicken in Germany it may be flavored Vindaloo?
Ex-pat Brit Stephen says that’s very proper British, there.
I told him where I come from you have to drive 1/2 hour to get anything flavored Vindaloo, & his eyes widened, aghast.
So, bliss came to me last night, & I’ll tell you why….
but I’ll have to take you back to Friday & start by saying I got maybe 1 hour total of sleep as I leapt through time change between our two countries,
on the airplanes from US to Frankfurt
So I am maybe to be forgiven if after 20 minutes of switching from bus to tram then walking down Berlin Street with Stephen Burch of Woodland Recordings,
& I realize with horror I have my guitar, & many bags, but not my pocketbook.
My POCKETBOOK.
No pocketbook??
No wallet. No credit cards, no cash.
No make-up, no chewing gum, no cigarettes from home (& I just suddenly really wanted one at that moment) no hair elastic, no barrette.
No allergy pills, eyedrops, dental floss or
most important, vital & irreplaceable , heaven sent Lorazepam.
Did you know I get panic attacks onstage? From some adrenaline overload chemical overdrive within my body & mind~
which makes the quiet , attentive room that is so loving what they hear that they won’t speak, or sometimes even move, can make me freak out & feel like I am in front of a firing range, & I fight every flaming nerve within me to not Run.
Fight or Flight, it’s called.
& I hate it.
I finally went to the doctor. He said I had been very brave.
I don’t want to fight anymore, it held me back for years . I lost some good gigs & did not live up to my potent potential,
you know?
I know I am good, I know I know how to play guitar & sing.
But I don’t know how to relax?
Breathe?
Believe?
So, no medicine,
But the show(s) must go on!
So, the show went on~Hamburg was great, & I only had one small attack after I played Hobgoblin’s Hat & “the air was sucked from the room” Stephen said.
(This is a good thing!)
But, it made me feel under the microscope & I had to play Azores Song to calm myself down.
I told S later that’s my disaster/emergency song~ easy to play & sing, lots of gaps to take good breaths.
Prinz Willy in Kiel was gorgeous , super artsy & cute, made me think of an Austin venue.
But they had a big spotlight on me , which is tough when you can’t see your audience & connect with them.
Their eyes , smiles & soft swaying makes me relax. All I saw was unyielding White.
I had wave after killer panic wave, it was quite brutal & when I was outside in between sets, S talked me down from the ledge.
I asked to go right back up, because waiting to play only makes it worse~ but when I got back up they turned the lights lower for me, & I was ok.
I got an encore! & a request!!
I played Peggy Gordon with more power & soul than I’ve ever played it.
So, you know?
It can be done.
Meanwhile, everyday is a roller coaster of ‘will my bag be turned in to Fundstat today?’
We had heard immediately that the bag had been found , through Stephen’s very ,very kind German speaking girlfriend, who was so good to do all the linguistic legwork over the phone.
Someone had found it, would turn it in “as soon as she could”.
Online, I checked the cards, no activity.
The only info was that the finder said she worked at an orphanage. People who work at orphanages don’t steal, right?
We called day & night, twice Stephen & I took the tram to Zoo station to see if it was there. No good news.
Every time the phone rang, & my heart would jump.
Through it all I believed it would be found, but Stephen said “You’ll never see that bag again.”
If you set your hopes low, you can only be cheered up, right?
I rode the roller coaster.
Little by little I got a few things to make me feel better, first, red lipstick (also can be used as blush) & much needed chapstick,
black eyeliner ( I usually use dark brown, but hey I am in Germany.)
Yesterday when we got back from Hamburg, & knew we would not be back in Berlin, I gave up the ghost & cut my losses & bought mascara, eyeshadow & an eyelash curler ( my lashes are straight, yeah)
We arrived at the venue in Berlin & the beautiful bartender says “This came for you 2 days ago”.
It’s my bag.
Everything is in it, my wallet , my money & credit cards.
My make-up (have some doubles now!) & gum.
& my pills allergy & otherwise, my beloved , beloved drug.
I almost cried, I gave some hugs & smiled my face off.
Later, I played two panic free , quite decent sets,even retuning for Button Boots & Winter Island.
Every venue in Germany that I’ve played is a “listening Room”, which is what I want.
What my music has to be given, to be heard.
& I love it.
May 3, 2011 ~Winter Island is now available for download on Bandcamp!!
If however you’d like a physical copy of the Ep, please write to
Woodland Recordings
April 20th, 2011
Dear friends,
Woodland Recordings has put up a link where you can hear the title track from Winter Island.
I hope you like it.
<3 Love from me
April 16 th, 2011
I am starting to take names for a pre-order list, since Winter Island will be a very short release~please write to me at allysencallery@yahoo.com.
I love you, & I can’t wait to share this new ep with you.
April 12 th, 2011
I sent the masters of Winter Island to
Woodland Recordings just this past Sunday. Some friends dropped by as I was struggling with large files & turned me on to DropBox, so now you know how to send big files for free, since most likely you are poor like me.
<3
So far I've had just a handful of friends hear the new ep, which is like my newest child, a small underweight but pretty thing.
I've heard that it's better than Hobgoblin's Hat.
I've heard it sounds like the female Nick Drake.
I've heard it paints pictures within the mind.
& these are all things that make me so happy
April 7th, 2011
I hope this looks as good to you, as it does to me.
Woodland Recordings has finished booking up my tour with The Great Park, which starts May 7th in Hamburg, Germany & ends with our last show May 13th in St Gallen, Switzerland.
May 7 Pony Bar, Hamburg, Germany
May 8 Prinz Willy, Kiel, Germany
May 9 Ursula Montinaro, Berlin, Germany
May 10 Südstadt, München, Germany
May 11 Für Dich, Zürich, Switzerland
May 12 Mundwerk, Thun, Switzerland
May 13 Restaurant Stickerei, St Gallen, Switzerland
7 shows in 7 cities, in two countries.
& I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
<3
Come see me.
April 3rd, 2011
Last Wednesday, I was the season closer for Feel The Music LIVE ~ a cable tv
show taped out on the Cape.
I was super sick, & had a bit of a fever…but I did the show, drinking tea & on tons of meds.
I am HIGH AS A KITE , yet seem relatively normal (for me).
So watch & be amazed at my mad skillz….
Scroll down to Video on Demand & click on my show~
or watch here on You Tube, & you can click through all 3 clips.
Thanks to Bruce Gannon, & hostess Kat Jones for their hospitality.
March 28th, 2011
So, I’ve been nominated for Best Female Vocals again this year by the Providence Phoenix, my home state’s Arts newspaper.
I am psyched, I’ve been reading the phoenix since it used to be the New Paper, (then there was the Nice Paper~remember?) then it was bought out by Boston’s Phoenix & we are one of a few Phoenix’s out there.
Anyhow, since I was a teen I always dreamed of being on the ballot, & that dream has come true every year….so I really don’t need to actually win.
BUT IT WOULD BE NICE.
My best friend Kim Lamothe is also nominated in my category, but she won’t mind if you vote for me!
lol
Please don’t forget to Cast your Ballot after you vote~ they won’t send you any email or spam, but they have to make sure no one is ballot stuffing.
Thank you so much if you do, but even more thank you for listening …that is the real prize.
March 26th, 2011
One of the most beautiful surprises ever happened to me yesterday~ I found out that a few days ago an artist named victtttory had made two of my songs into Videos, using the artwork of a couple photographers.
They happen to be both favorite tracks of mine, & I hope you will enjoy them~the imagery is perfect, & I loved them both.
Many thanks to dear victtttory , it was an amazing gift to receive xoxo
Here they are:
Button Boots
Ring Around The Moon
March 25th, 2011
Last night was my AAA show with Arborea, Alec K. Redfearn & the Eyesores, & me, Allysen Callery.
I resisted all urges to call it the A list, &/or whatnot~ but you can see my truly corny goof side today.
They were all amazing & super cool, but for some reason I only got this one shot my husband took of me
(& you can see my bass player Brendan , way over there. See him?)
I was Incredibly Brave by retuning mid-set so I could play Button Boots & Winter Island (from the new EP!!) with Brendan.
But I was even braver for starting the night solo, playing a new song I’d just written two days ago (ok, just put new music to a favorite poem I’d written but never published)
which afterward actually got the most feedback.
Here are the lyrics, it is a bit based on the storming of Lady Guinevere’s father’s castle (Lyonesse)~a bit more based on my own unfortunate events after the death of my father,
& has absolutely nothing to do with Lions.
Lyonesse
You speak
with your heart
so freely
you’ll have me
believing in your sweet
dreams
of love
Look!
My father’s house lies
burning
Let loose their firey arrows
their armies were legion
The Keep is broken
They’ve removed his bones
from the tomb
See they are exposed now
to the light
the dust
the dry
bones of my father
March 12th, 2011
I just came across a lovely mix put together on a blog called Southcoasting~ it contains my newest song Favorite Son (or Favourite Son if you are outside the US)
& many other beautiful tracks from artists I’m sure you’d like…
It’s all available for free download, but may be only for a short time.
Many of the tracks were on this past week’s Simple Folk radio show, which I hadn’t heard on Wednesday since I was a little depressed that I won’t be able to play Brighton, due to bad timing on my part.
But I listened to a rebroadcast of the show last night, while taking turns on Lexulous …& they played my song & said some nice things.
& it cheered me up
Thanks to Jon, & Dillon. xo
March 8th, 2011
I believe we have an EP, Mr. Watson!
I mean, Mr. Baer & Mr. Burch…actually, everybody who might be interested.
Are you? I hope so!
I met with my producer last night at the new Black Hole Infinity Sound Studios (in his new house!) & fueled by Bordeaux ( that’s what’s in the cup)
we banged out the last of the new ep, Winter Island.
We have too many tracks for an EP, so I’m going to figure out with my label which ones to keep/cut (I am no good with that stuff)
& I just can’t wait for you to hear it.
I am thinking around May for release date , as we will want it for the Euro Tour.
Did you notice that I’m being super cool by not putting a million exclamation points in this post?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is all I want to do….;-)
March 5th, 2011
So, I did an interview a couple days ago with Tom Erb, who also had taped me for Newport City Limits a couple weeks ago…
If you want to hear it, the link is below:
I talk a bit about myself, play a few songs~ one unreleased, one standard & one that will be on my upcoming EP….
I totally laugh too much when I’m talking ~& I SWEAR TO GOD I am way better looking than in most of those pics…;-)
March 2nd, 2011
Wow, I can’t believe it’s March! I’ve been without a car for the past week, because my little Saab knows when I am getting a tax return, & wants to make sure I don’t get a swelled head with all that $$…
I’ve a humble wallet again.
Luckily, my husband Ted has been able to schlep me around to gigs, he was pretty happy to come out to last week’s Indigo Lounge show, because they happen to serve the BEST PIZZA on the planet!
(We are both on super diets, so maybe it was also because we haven’t had anything but nuts & twigs for the past few months).
Here I am , on the awesome little stage~
Mary Day (a local stalwart musician) owns the place, & she said she built the stage first! It had nice lights & all, Kim Lamothe also played, & it was a treat to hear her solo,
just like 5 years ago when we first started out splitting gigs.
Newport City Limits show at Jimmy’s Saloon was a fun time, but the lights were Wicked Bright. Without pancake make-up/tan newcaster stuff I looked like a bowl of phosphorescent mashed potatoes in all the stills taken, so I’ll spare you that sight.
The vids hopefully will look better, but I’m not too optimistic!
Happy Spring, I hope you’ve been taking nice nature walks.
xxo
February 15th, 2011
Newport Arts Scene did a little email interview with me, in preparation for a live TV show I’ll be taping a Jimmy’s saloon Wednesday night (tomorrow!)
I’ll also be on the radio with them on March 3rd…
Anyone who knows/reads me knows I put too many !!! points when I write, but what you might not know is I am Highly Competitive …especially when it comes to word games.
If you doubt me, just challenge me to Lexulous (I play on Facebook & I will kick your….um, I mean let’s play!)
Here is the interview if you’d like to read it:
Newport Arts Scene Interview
Thanks to Tom Erb for the support!
February 14th, 2011
Question: Is a weekend in NYC really That much fun?
Answer: Yes.
We had a Blast!!! We also walked a LOT which made all the wonderful little meals we ate not soooo bad ( I gained 2 oz since last week, not sweating it).
We stayed in NoHo, about a block or so away from Bleeker & Greenwich Village~best neighborhood , ever!
I saw some folks eating pizza in the window of a cheese shop, & Had to go in…
No, that is not a posed picture, it is a candid shot, which shows just how goofy my face actually gets when confronted by so much cheese!
We pretty much only bought cheese~ Mahon for my daughter, Pecorino-Romano & Piave for us ( I mean, me)
& a fancy-pants Parmesan for my friend , because I threw hers out when I was helping them move & cleaning out their fridge.
(How was I to know moldy Parm cheese meant it was fantastic & $$$$ ??)
We couldn’t decide on Mexican, or street vendor falafel, & we noticed a little Ethiopian place in a basement~Who gets to eat Etiopian food in RI??
No one!
We went & it was So good! I recommend the chicken.
They serve it on a flat bread that’s a lot like a crepe~here is my hubby tucking into some lamb
We probably walked about 4 miles that day, luckily I got a good nap in before my show~ Caffe Vivaldi was a wonderful place to play, & is my new favorite venue for the city.
It was full, & the folks LISTENED & bought cds & I was very happy….
Things for me & you to know/remember for next time:
Book a show at Caffe Vivaldi~I loved it.
Eat a crepe from Creperie! (did not get to try one)
Make sure you have skinny jeans/tall boots ( I felt like a fool in my flat Uggs & wide pants!)
Eat one of those pizza things from Murrays. (did not get to try one)
Bring moisturizer.(We pruned up with massive heating in our apt- a NYC quirk, I hear)
Have more $$.
What a blast!
Happy Valentine’s Day~ <3 <3 <3
February 9th, 2011
Oh boy, it’s New York City here we come this weekend~!!
I’ll be playing at Caffe Vivaldi in the heart of Greenwich Village on Saturday night, 8:15…;-)
I’m taking the opportunity to have a nice little Valentine’s vacation with my husband Ted, we will probably visit The Cloisters, & of course, our bi-yearly pilgrimage to
Myer’s of Keswick~ where we buy enough English sausages to last us a few months.
Rhode Island is a wonderful place for many things, but you sure can’t get a pasty here!
Happy Valentine’s day weekend Remember to be your own Valentine, & treat yourself to something special xoxx
January 28th, 2011
I grew up as an only child-kinda weird, in a tough city neighborhood where I didn’t fit in…
A Plus- this is great impetus to learn an instrument (violin at the time)
& read a lot of books (no internet/cable in the 70s!).
Where did I hang out?
The Mt. Pleasant Branch Library!
I took out books about witchcraft, & a limerick book called “Beastly Boys & Ghastly Girls”, all of the Oz series, & countless other magic trick & Judy Blume books.
So, when the call came to do a benefit to support the Providence Public Libraries, I was thrilled~ I love you, Libraries!
I was also psyched to see the line up when it came out, what an awesome show this will be!! Hope you can come out~!!! xox
I mean…shhhhhhhhh
January 26th, 2011
As you probably know, I self-released both my albums…which means out of pocket I spent beaucoup bucks, & there are many boxes sitting in my basement.
The discs are special, I think~ mostly because all the lyrics I mumble are printed out & you can read what I was singing.
Most people like to download, though~which is cool, too, but…
If you are downloading indie artists, please consider itunes, or CD Baby…Places like Spotify pay little me 0.00430000 per song. For an entire album I get about .80 cents.
Spotify, Rhapsody , Napster, Emusic, ect. seriously hurt little guys like me 
(& I am super poor already!)
Ok, whine-y rant over.
I love you & I’m glad you liked my music enough to download it. xox
January 19th, 2011
I really love Wednesdays~ not for that it’s Prince Spaghetti day, or the night of my yoga class that i never go to…
but because Simple Folk Radio broadcasts it’s show right at 1:00pm my time (EST) & it makes a fun work day for me.
It’s almost embarrassing but so much of my recent musical education has come from this show, it’s how I found out about Birdengine, whom I love~ which led to me discovering Woodland Recordings, which is now my label.
Today I found out about Baby Dee, because they played “The Earlie King” from one of her albums, Safe Inside The Day~ which was put out by Dragcity.
(That label I already knew about , because they had Cat Powers on their roster)
In many ways , I am so grateful for the internet (interwebs)~ because no longer do I sit alone in a dark room thinking my music (or myself) is too weird for anyone to love.
I learn about all sorts of beautiful & interesting artists.
But I am glad it was not around 15 years ago, or I’d never have learned to play guitar.
If you’d like to check out Simple Folk Radio, find your time zone & tune in to Radio Reverb. Dillon Swinhoe is the host, & joining him are a revolving cast of guest DJs with fine taste.
They even play me, from time to time. (literally, twice!)
I was honored. Honoured.
You know what I mean….
gmt: wed 6pm / thur 10am / sat 1am
cet: wed 7pm / thur 11am / sat 2am
est: wed 1pm / thur 5am / fri 8pm
pst: wed 10am / thur 2am / fri 5pm
January 17th, 2011
I am so pleased to share a link to an Italian music compilation I was asked to contribute to~
OndaDrops Vol. 3: Come all ye fair and tender maidens
Many artists I admire are also on this compilation including Haruko, Rachel Dadd, & Muffin…we’ve all been played on alt-folk stations such as Folk Radio UK, & Australia’s
Sideways Through Sound .
I hope you will check it out, my new song “Favorite Son” is featured on the second disc, it’s a free download & you will have loads of new music by lovely women from all over the beautiful world of alt folk.
January 13th,2011
I am pretty amazed how many awesome artists live in little RI, or once lived here~
in many ways I sort of lived under a rock for too many years & missed out on meeting folks that were around.
Weird, & I guess I was super defensive & antisocial? I thought cool meant being aloof & it hurt my feelings when people were cold,
but it was probably just me projecting my own insecurities.
One of the awesome things about getting older is getting your feet on the ground, & loving yourself ~ & if being friendly makes me uncool, I don’t really care
That said, Friday night’s show at The Brooklyn Coffee & Teahouse is filled with some of the coolest folks in RI~ including the exquisite treasure Orion Rigel Dommisse.
I’ve asked her to play a few shows with me (Though Detroit Rebellion set up this upcoming one) Anyhow,
she is the one of the best things in RI right now (I think) & you might , too…
Here she is playing a beautiful song at my CD Release party for Hobgoblin’s Hat last Feb:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CFYlKwziEM
January 10th,2011
Last night’s show at The Red Door’s “Hush Hush, Sweet Harlot” music series was a dream~we had about 80 people packed in that lovely little space,
or maybe it was 50 & seemed like 80…
I played first, & you could hear a pin drop (excellent!) & I was very happy.
Arborea played another lovely set, & again had me do the last song playing on key & working the bellows of the harmonium.
It was awesome
The last band was louder, & had tons of fans there~ & so I didn’t feel too bad leaving with my friend so she could catch up with her cousin in town, who she doesn’t get to see very often.
It was a great little tour, but I’ll be glad to see my husband & daughter tonight, & sleep in my own bed!
<3
Jan 8th, 2011
I am enjoying my little life on the road…
was able to stay with a friend & her lovely room-mates in Maine last night after the show at The Oak & The Ax,
what a gorgeous venue that is….
If you get the chance to check it out~Go. A perfect room for hearing sweet stuff, & really kind people running it.
Today, my husband dropped me off at my dear friend Kim (Lamothe)’s aunt & uncle’s in New Hampshire~they were very warm & welcoming,
in their snowy Winter Wonderland home.
We ate french meat pie (with venison!) & took a 2 mile walk…glorious.
I saw some chickens, including a Rhode Island Red, which made me proud & think of my home-state with love.
Here is a wobbly video of me singing a new song at The Oak & The Ax last night xxo
Jan 7th, 2011
Hi & Happy 2011~!
I have a lot of great shows coming up, this month I’ll be doing a couple of shows in Maine & New Hampshire with the beautiful Arborea,
& in Providence with Orion Rigel Dommisse, Joe Fletcher, & The Detroit Rebellion.
I’m also doing an Elvis Presley Tribute night at the legendary Club Passim!
(Don’t be cruel…)
The Fiddlers & Fishermen show is one I’ve wanted to do for years, finally the right place to sing a British Isles murder ballad…
At the end of the month I’ll be playing a benefit for the Providence Public Libraries at AS220 with Chris Monti, Bill Munroe, Paul Williams, Alec K. Redfearn & the Eyesores, Denver Boot, Neon Bitches, and Olneyville Sound System.
More shows & all the details are posted on under my tour tab~hope to see you out there!
xoAllysen
January 5, 2011
Hey! I’ll be starting a new music blog here~ stayed tuned for news & music,
& other stuff.
xoAllysen
