why are we here?
welcome to a new thing
I’ve been badgering myself to write a newsletter for a long while. I’ve written on the internet in other capacities (see: mainly my blog from 2014 about living in Canada, where I ate other people’s toast, set my hair on fire and talked about being naked in the community pool changing rooms). I felt like it was time, however, for a dedicated, I-am-a-musician newsletter, which will act as a weekly update for my outputtings (sounds a bit digestive but let’s roll with it) and my inspirations (you could call those inputtings I guess).
It’s a constellation of sorts: planets and debris floating about which, at some point, might become a pretty thing to look at or listen to one day.
This constellation is weekly, until I say otherwise, or I give up with a bang/whimper/[insert sound here]. Ideally, though, we are on this journey together as I show you things and you read and go “hey, nice!” and this newsletter becomes an enjoyable, reliable weekly experience for us both.
The main thing I have been thinking about this week is getting back into my research on rocks. Not just rocks, but geology. For a good while last spring I was really into geology, watched and participated in an entire Geology 101 class streamed on Youtube from a college in Ellensburg, Washington, and took big scribbly notes about volcanoes and earthquakes and sediment. Now that I’m in the space to write new songs, I want those songs to be about rocks ‘n’ stuff. So I’ve been researching again, this time about geologic stories from close to home (Scotland) and far away (Mars).
In early 2021, still in the pandemic/lockdown muck, I found the concept of geologic time very comforting. Thinking about the scale of 100 million years made me feel small in a way that made sense, made me feel part of something. We tiny humans are just a blip on the stratigraphic column that reads Pre-Cambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, and I’m okay with that. It’s nice to feel like a thing on Planet Earth, a small part of a story of many things.
MUSIC NEWS
I have two gigs in London coming up in the next wee while — both small, acoustic affairs.
March 23rd @ Bianca Rd Brewery, London - Helping Band is a gig series that donates all ticket sales towards local food banks. Join me for an acoustic set from 7:30pm onwards, pay on the door with cash or card.
April 9th @ The Yoga Space, London - this evening involves spoken word, live music and a DJ with one of the most scenic views of the Thames. Book your tickets here.
And, this isn’t really news, but if you still haven’t checked out my latest release, the Hurricane EP, you can do so here.
THINGS I LIKE RIGHT NOW
This article about meteorite hunters. I love this quote — “I have no bills. I don’t owe anything to anybody. That is all because of meteorites.” One day I want to be able to say something as absurd as this and have it be true. I don’t owe anything to anybody! All because of meteorites!
I just finished reading Road Seven by Keith Rosson and people in this book get beaten up a lot but there is also the promise of aliens, unicorns and ghosts on a pumpkin farm in Iceland.
Thank you for coming to this, my first newsletter, isn’t it nice that we are all here.
lol stands for ‘lots of love’ but it could also just be ‘laughing out loud,’ you’ll never know,
lol,
Olivia