Independent Record Label | Est. 2009
Wilmington, North Carolina

 
 

EVENT CALENDAR

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

OUT NOW: Citified "Sleep Sound" [Digital Single]

The second single "Sleep Sound" from Greensboro NC's dream pop legends Citified's third album and Fort Lowell Records debut, Lie Like a Painter, is out now on all digital music platforms.  Pre-order Citified's full album, Lie Like a Painter, today and receive "Sleep Sound", plus their first single "Must Forget", as a download right away.


Friday, November 26, 2021

Premiere: Lauds "Are You There All Alone"

[Repost from Fuzzy Logic; by Megan Petty, November 22, 2021]

It's not often in the music world that one gets the chance to share something that's essentially hot off the press, but that's exactly what I have the pleasure of doing with you right here and now.

Wilmington's very own Lauds wrapped up the recording of this, their dreamy new single "Are You There All Alone," just last week, and it's available for your listening pleasure today. I should warn you, though: this isn't the kind of song you'll just be able to listen to once and walk away from.

Instantly, and I do mean instantly, addictive, the song has an incandescent, almost gossamer-gentle glimmer, a sun-dappled seabreeze swirling around McKay Glasgow's wispy, honey-dripping vocals, and sugar-spun guitar that wouldn't sound at all out of place on a Beach Fossils record, all of which strongly hints at the band's affinity for '90s British music. For those with a taste for that era (such as your humble blogstress), there's a whole lot to love about "Are You There All Alone." As the song opens up, it reveals a sweetly nostalgic slant, something that recalls the retrospective magic of a time before pandemics and mandates and bitter division about vaccination and doing the right thing. Modern context puts Lauds in great sonic company, too, with DIIV and Wild Nothing soon coming to mind.

It's a mighty fine effort for a band that's relatively new, Lauds having come together in 2019. "Are You There All Alone" comes on the heels of the band's fantastic self-titled, four song debut EP, out now on Fort Lowell Records. This is the the kind of song that's playlist catnip for sure, but not only that, it serves as a tantalizing glimpse at what might be coming next from Lauds, sort of like the musical equivalent of showing some ankle in Victorian times. Ultimately, no matter how many times you listen to "Are You There All Alone," you'll be left wanting more. The only answer is to keep listening.

I strongly suggest you keep an eye on Lauds. North Carolinians can also see the band up close and personal on November 28, at Chapel Hill's Local 506 (buy tix here).

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a song to keep listening to. Incessantly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lauds - "Are You There All Alone"

Personnel: Glasgow McKay (lead vocals, guitar), J. Holt Evans III (vocals, keyboards), Ross Page (drums), Gavin Campbell (bass)

Bio: Lauds are a band from Wilmington, NC that was formed in the spring of 2019 by songwriters McKay Glasgow and J. Holt Evans III. Bonding over their love of Slowdive and Neil Young, the band plays in the style of the former while channeling some of latter’s more untamed guitarscapes. They are part of the dream pop-shoegaze-post-punk continuum, but carry an unpredictable edge. Other influences include acts on Creation Records and Captured Tracks, as well as British alt rock legends like Ride, Chapterhouse, and The Cure. 

Glasgow and Evans were both craving an outlet to make guitar-oriented rock music, and Lauds is the result. Glasgow is also a member of Tumbleweed, a folk-rock group, but had songwriting ideas that didn’t fit within their confines. Teaming up with Evans, who has spent a lot of his free time in recent years recording reverbed-out bedroom pop songs, the two founded Lauds as a project to unleash their Jazzmaster ambitions. Eventually, lifelong friend Rett Nabell and younger brother Boyce S. Evans joined them on bass and drums respectively, rounding out the four-piece. In recent news, B. Evans is making the switch to keyboards and third guitar; Ross Page, another prolific Wilmington songwriter (Color Temperature, Seeking Madras, also Tumbleweed) will fill his spot on drums. 

Released on: Fort Lowell Records

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Song Premiere: "Must Forget" by Citified


Chris Jackson’s musical energies found their home on Wilmington-based Eskimo Kiss Records in the mid- to late ’90s and early aughts in the group Lookwell.

The Greensboro, NC trio churned out jangly mid-tempo alt-rock that echoed at times fellow Tar Heel state act, The Connells. But Jackson also crafted slightly faster-paced and more sonically textured music that did not readily fit that mold and ultimately served as catalyst to form Citified.

Unlike Lookwell, Jackson’s Citified project was more firmly encamped in a version of dreampop that owed much to early R.E.M. and Let’s Active while also drawing inspiration from The Smiths and Ride, as well as the early catalog of UK-based label, 4AD.

What started out as Jackson with a guitar and a drum machine at Duck Kee Studios (Polvo, Superchunk) with Jerry Kee in the Triad blossomed into two full lengths (the self-titled Citified in 2005 and 2008’s The Meeting After the Meeting) and an EP (Absence in 2009) on Eskimo Kiss during the back half of the 2000s.

Now, Citified is back. Jackson returns on another Wilmington label, Fort Lowell Records, with Lie Like a Painter, a collection of songs that have lain fallow for some time.

Idle time notwithstanding, the eight tunes breathe new life into a discography already on solid footing, led by two singles, “Must Forget” and “Sleep Sound.” The latter draws on the experience of putting a beloved cat down and is haunted throughout by an echo-y Casio keyboard response in the chorus that seems stuck in a fog. It is a small thing, but typical of the elements tucked away ready to reward careful listening in each of the eight songs that mark Citified’s 2021 re-emergence.

Big Takeover is pleased to host the premiere of the other track, the early R.E.M.-like “Must Forget.”

The song is a scintillating slice of indie rock nostalgia that sparkles with brightly cycling guitar riffs, a tempered, yet kinetic drum beat, and Jackson’s glowing vocal musings that drape over the instrumentation like a warm and familiar blanket.

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

OUT NOW: Lauds "Are You There All Alone" [Digital Single]

Wilmington, North Carolina's dream pop darlings -- Lauds -- are back at it again, with a brand new song for you titled "Are You There All Alone"; out now on all digital music platforms! Enjoy!

Sunday, November 21, 2021

My first and second concert ever, from thirty years ago, now on video

The year was 1991; the date, October 2nd. I was sixteen years old, and my bandmates -- Steven Haley and Frank Mazzeo -- were right about the same.  It was the first rock-n-roll band any of us had ever been in.  We were called Tumblewēd. Our first concert was held at Einstein A Go-Go in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and thank God our friend Jamie Newell brought his VHS video camera to record the event with our friends Lazzaroni [R.I.P. Dave This]. The funny thing is, I had never seen this video until now, thirty years later, when Jamie decided to archive some of his old VHS tapes to YouTube.  Thank you again and again, Jamie, for doing this! 

Can you image doing something today for the first time ever in your live -- something that ends up shaping your very existence altogether as a person -- and then thirty years later someone shows you a video of that very moment?  It is truly a mind-blowing experience that I still can't quite wrap my head around.  The cherry on top: Jamie not only captured our first show, but also our second show which took place one month later at The House of Ill Repute [H.O.I.] on November 2, 1991 again with Lazzaroni, as well as Duel Sheep

Click the links below to watch each band's performance from both shows. Enjoy! ~ James Tritten, owner of Fort Lowell Records

October 2, 1991 - Einstein A Go-Go
November 2, 1991 - The House of Ill Repute
Tumblewēd -- [L-R] James Tritten, Steven Haley, Frank Mazzeo -- at Einstein A Go-Go
James Tritten at Einstein a Go-Go
James Tritten at The House of Ill Repute
Concert Poster

Saturday, November 20, 2021

[REVIEW] GROW: A Compilation In Solidarity With Black Lives Matter

[Repost from Daily Vault; by Tom Haugen, November 19, 2021]

The Wilmington, North Carolina imprint Fort Lowell Records assembles a very diverse cast of regional artists here, where 100% of the sales from the record are donated to the North Carolina New Hanover County NAACP.

Tracy Shedd starts the listen with the soulful and dreamy “Holding Space,” where a hypnotic quality enters the stylish delivery that's got plenty of pop spirit. The album then takes an abrupt turn onto the dance floor with the beat friendly and rhythmic “That Kind Of Love” by Life Of Saturdays, and Summer Set follows with buzzing synth and post-punk nods that flow with light melodies across “Comfortable Town.”

Nearing the end of Side A, the thumping, raw garage rock of Neon Belly's “They Boys Are Alright” brings plenty of grit to the affair, while “Come On Over” offers a gentle, nearly slo-core sort of feeling that eventually builds into a crisp indie-rocker thanks to Pinky Verde.

Kicking Bird's “What Would All The Other Girls Say (If They Knew What I Was Doing)” is both the song with the longest title and the best track present, where a charming doo-wop angle is met with a swirling indie-pop friendly execution.

The back half of the album showcases The Love Language's busy and soaring rocker “Throwing Darts,” as well as the subtle Americana of “Strange & Electrifying” by Sean Thomas Gerard. The Rosebuds turn in the best selection from the deeper cuts, where “Get Up Get Out” is part club rock, part indie rock, and is delivered with the perfect amount of power and beauty.

The impetus for this project began after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by four police officers, and the money raised will help in eradicating further racial injustices. The bands all donated their work for the occasion, and they represent obscure bands that are overlooked as well as bigger names in the world of independent rock. Regardless of popularity, though, every tune here is fantastic, and the cause is undoubtedly one of the most pressing problems we face today, which makes this an essential listen for multiple reasons.

Rating: A

Friday, November 19, 2021

OUT NOW: Citified "Must Forget" [Digital Single]

The first single "Must Forget" from Greensboro NC's dream pop legends Citified's new album and Fort Lowell Records debut, Lie Like a Painter, is out now on all digital music platforms.  Pre-order Citified's full album, Lie Like a Painter, now and receive "Must Forget" as an immediate download.

Friday, November 12, 2021

A Light in the dark: Tucson music compilation Luz de Vida II supports families of homicide victims

[Repost from Tucson Weekly; by Jeff Gardner, November 11, 2021]

Light shines through darker days,” sings Tucson band Calexico in the opening lines of the new album “Luz de Vida II,” a collection of local music to benefit those affected by violence. 

“Luz de Vida II” was released on Friday, Nov. 5, roughly 10 years after the first “Luz de Vida,” which was recorded in response to the 2011 Tucson mass shooting. Both projects were produced by Fort Lowell Records, which gathered Tucson-affiliated musicians to sing stories of hope, and donated the proceeds to charity. Sales of “Luz de Vida II” will be donated to the local nonprofit Homicide Survivors Inc., which provides support for families impacted by homicide.

“Luz de Vida II” (Spanish for “light of life”) features a variety of Tucson musicians, from the desert rock of Calexico and XIXA, to the acoustic ballads of Dr. Dog and Amos Lee, to the pop of Tracy Shedd. But whether they’re energetic or soft, all the songs are reflective and uplifting in the face of tragedy. 

James Tritten, who runs Fort Lowell Records out of Wilmington, North Carolina, says selecting musicians to perform on the album was simply a matter of contacting Tucson artists he was already acquainted with. But the idea for the album is a more complex story. 

The original installment, titled “Luz de Vida: A Compilation to Benefit the Victims of the Tucson Tragedy,” was released in 2011 and supported the Tucson Together Fund. Tritten moved to North Carolina from Tucson in 2013, and has supported independent music since. During the pandemic and protests of 2020, Fort Lowell Records released a benefit compilation of Carolina artists titled GROW. 

The Tucson Together Fund disbanded in 2013. During quarantine, Tritten spoke with a friend who introduced him to the Tucson-based Homicide Survivors Inc, and he decided to direct the funds from the first “Luz de Vida” to them. Tritten eventually spoke with representatives from Homicide Survivors and they brought up the idea of re-releasing the original album. 

“And I figured if we’re going to put forward the money to get a new vinyl pressing of the first album, why not make a whole new record?” Tritten said. “That’s kind of it, it was serendipitous in that way. Luz de Vida I inspired GROW, but then the actions of GROW enabled Luz de Vida II to happen. Out of this pandemic and the environment we were all forced into, reminded us how important it is to have networks and share ideas.” 

The only artists to appear on both “Luz de Vida” albums are Calexico and Tracy Shedd. In an interview with The Bluegrass Situation, Joey Burns of Calexico explained the band’s reasoning for participating in the benefits. 

“I’ve had friends and family members who have been directly affected by gun violence. We need to find some kind of solution to gun violence and improve the situation here in our community, Southern Arizona, and nationwide,” Burns said. “I’m friends with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Sen. Mark Kelly and their work on this issue has been vital, not to mention inspiring. So when I was asked to be involved with the second incarnation of Luz de Vida, it was an emphatic ‘Yes!’”

Burns explains their entry for the album, “Wash,” is inspired by the healing quality of the Sonoran Desert. This is reflected in other songs on LDV2, such as Hannah Yeun’s song “All That Matters is the Wind” and The Resonars’ song “It’s the Same.”

“As a record label, when we’re putting a compilation together that represents so much, we do try to curate a certain sound, and HSI as an organization was very respectful to that,” Tritten said. “We spoke about how it’s not a wide-open canvas, we were trying to basically make it an alternative rock compilation.”

In an interview with Guitar Girl Magazine, Yeun explained that her entry for the album takes solace in nature, that no matter how difficult things may be, listening to something as simple as the wind can remind us that all things pass.

“I wrote this song during a falling out with a few new friends I had made, a traumatic breakup with someone who was actively involved with the music scene, and the death of a few dear friends,” Yeun said. “It was my way of grieving that loss, and because I was so new in town, I tended to not go out much and isolated myself a bit to write songs. I made sure to attend the All Souls Procession (the Tucson Día de Los Muertos celebration) to write the names of those I had lost that year to be tossed into the urn that they light on fire as a way to honor the dead.”

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

La Cerca pays tribute to Sam Jayne of Love As Laughter in Brooklyn NY

Saturday November 13, 2021 at Union Pool is a Celebration of the Wild & Wonderful Sam Jayne from Love As Laughter at 7:00 PM EST! Video tributes, live music and Sam’s fave DJs come together celebrating the way Sam would love us to. Tigers and Monkeys will perform some of our favorite Sam Jayne songs along with members of Love As Laughter, Justice of The Unicorns, This Frontier Needs Heroes, Tigers and Monkeys The Roger Sisters, Tiffany Anders, Kim Krans, Miguel Mendez, Glick and the Migs; featuring Ivan Berko, La Cerca, Steve Miller Band Band Band and more! 

Get your tix now for this free event!

Monday, November 8, 2021

XIXA, Soda Sun, and Hannah Yeun of 'Luz de Vida II' -- Live concert videos

Thank you for everyone in Tucson, Arizona who went out to the MSA Annex to join Zia Records and support Homicide Survivors, Inc. to celebrate the record release of Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors this past Saturday, November 6, 2021.  The event was live streamed on YouTube, and the video footage has been preserved.  Click the links below now to watch the individual live performances by XIXA, Soda Sun, and Hannah Yeun:

XIXA; live at MSA Annex, Tucson AZ, November 6, 2021

Soda Sun; live at MSA Annex, Tucson AZ, November 6, 2021


Hannah Yeun; live at MSA Annex, Tucson AZ, November 6, 2021

Sunday, November 7, 2021

"Best surprise this month, hands down."

[Repost from Maximum Rocknroll; by Robert Collins, Issue #441 October 2021]

North Carolina outfit that hits like 1978 freak punk (the MAD, BAGS, SCREAMERS) without sounding like any kind of a rehash. Tracks like “D.O.I.I.” and the title track are pure fire—one hundred percent in-your-face and shameless punk couched in unabashedly catchy four-on-the-floor burners. Best surprise this month, hands down.

Lacie Jay, PMAttitude, and Murdoch of Neon Belly

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Wilmington label releases benefit compilation album with national, local acts

[Repost from StarNews; by John Staton, November 5, 2021]

James Tritten is very good at making connections. 

Spend just a few minutes talking with Tritten, who runs Wilmington-based indie music label Fort Lowell Records, and those connections start sparking, the synapses buzzing fast and furious. 

On Nov. 5, Fort Lowell released "Luz De Vida II," a compilation album benefiting Homicide Survivors, Inc., that features not only such nationally known acts as Calexico, Amos Lee, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Dr. Dog, but also acts with Wilmington connections, like the hip-hop artist L'Orange and the singer/songwriter Tracy Shedd, who is Tritten's wife. 

Tritten and Shedd — her song on "Luz De Vida II" is the poppy, moody "Chasing Time" — moved to Wilmington a couple of years ago via Tuscon, Arizona, where they started Fort Lowell in 2009.

That's where the first "Luz De Vida" — featuring such acts as Spoon, Jimmy Eat World, the Meat Puppets, Neko Case and Robyn Hitchcock — came out in 2011 in response to the shooting there of then-Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others. That effort raised more than $20,000 for the victims and their families via the Tucson Together Fun.

Here's where the Wilmington connection comes in. Nearly a decade after it came out, "Luz De Vida" inspired Tritten to compile and release, in October of 2020, "GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter," featuring current and former Wilmington acts, after he and Shedd witnessed first-hand the George Floyd/BLM protests downtown. Proceeds from the sale of that record benefited the New Hanover County chapter of the NAACP. 


"Being where we lived downtown, we were surrounded by that (protest) activity," Tritten said. "We were just trying to find our lane."

In very tangible ways, Tritten said, the "GROW" album led to "Luz De Vida II" after he re-connected with some old Arizona friends after a Zoom call. 

 "I love how it's come full circle," he said. 

Now, he said, "Our goal is to make this an annual event," with a new release each year benefiting Homicide Survivors, Inc., along with a corresponding concert in Tuscon. 

"A Rich Life & Longing," the fifth track on "Luz De Vida II," is by the internationally known hip-hop artist and beatmaker L'Orange, who grew up in Wilmington and lived here until he was 20. He recently moved back to North Carolina to live in Asheville.

"I literally started there. That is my origin point," he said of Wilmington, where he could often be found digging through stacks of vinyl at Gravity Records. (L'Orange said he has vinyl he purchased from Gravity '"literally on my turntable right now.")

L'Orange, who is half of the hip-hop duo Marlowe with the Wilmington-based rapper Solemn Brigham, records for Arizona label Mello Music Group. Marlowe's music was used for a national commercial with 7-Eleven stores earlier this year.


He said an old friend of his who's also friends with Tritten reached out to him about "Luz De Vida II" and "it just seemed like a good fit, something I wanted to contribute to and be a part of," he said. "It was for a good cause."

L'Orange, who makes samples-based hip-hop and beats "the way they would've made hip-hop in the '90s," said that "there was a beat I'd been working on. I guess that (on the 'Luz De Vida II' album) is where the beat was supposed be."

L'Orange and Brigham have both released solo records this year: "The World Is Still Chaos, But I Feel Better" (L'Orange) and "South Sinner Street" (Brigham). Earlier this year, they toured England for Brigham's solo album, playing for sold-out crowds.

Tritten said he was particularly happy to have a song by L'Orange on  "Luz De Vida II," in part because of the Wilmington connection, but also because "Nothing sounds like L'Orange."

Friday, November 5, 2021

Happy Release Day to 'Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors'

Luz de Vida -- Spanish for Light of Life -- is an expression of community, love, healing, grace and hope, a positive response from musicians and artists. Ten years ago, following the horrific events known as The Tucson Tragedy, [L-R] Tom Beach, Eric Swedlund, James Tritten, Stephen Seigel, Curtis McCrary, Ryan Trayte, and Nathan Sabatino [not pictured] formed a coalition called Music Against Violence and, along with Fort Lowell Records, released the album Luz de Vida: A Compilation to Benefit the Victims of the Tucson Tragedy to help provide aid and comfort to the victims and their families. To commemorate what took place in 2011, Fort Lowell Records and Zia Records are very excited to announce the official release of Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors, available today -- November 5, 2021 -- on all digital music platforms. All proceeds from both Luz de Vida record sales go directly to Homicide Survivors, Inc.: a non-profit organization that’s helping meet the crisis and long-term needs of families of murder victims through support, advocacy, and assistance. Visit our Bandcamp page now to listen to both Luz de Vida albums, as well as order the vinyl records. Thank you for your continuous support!

“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”
~ Leonard Bernstein

Music Against Violence; [L-R] Tom Beach, Eric Swedlund, James Tritten, Stephen Seigel, Curtis McCrary, Ryan Trayte

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Listen: Calexico, “Wash (La Luz Brilliante)”



Artist: Calexico
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Song: “Wash (La Luz Brilliante)”
Album: Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors
Release Date: November 5, 2021
Label: Fort Lowell Records

Editor’s Note: All proceeds from Luz de Vida sales and fundraising efforts will go toward services for advocacy, support, and emergency assistance for families impacted by homicide.

In Their Words: “I’ve had friends and family members who have been directly affected by gun violence. We need to find some kind of solution to gun violence and improve the situation here in our community, Southern Arizona, and nationwide. I’m friends with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Senator Mark Kelly and their work on this issue has been vital, not to mention inspiring. So when I was asked to be involved with the second incarnation of Luz de Vida, it was an emphatic ‘Yes!’ I chose to re-record an old song called ‘Wash,’ which was on our first album Spoke. The song was inspired by the spaciousness of the Sonoran desert as well as its healing quality. The second verse deals with embracing death and seeing it as not necessarily a bad thing but something that happens in life which we can choose to give negative energy or we can look at it in a more positive light. We are all searching for meaning on our own unique path in life; this song touches on these themes.” — Joey Burns, Calexico

Monday, November 1, 2021

Music Premiere: Hannah Yeun’s single “All That Matters Is The Wind” from the upcoming ‘Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors’ due out November 5


We are pleased to premiere Hannah Yeun’s single “All That Matters Is The Wind” which is part of the upcoming Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors due out November 5 on Fort Lowell Records. 100% of proceeds from this album will go to Homicide Survivors Inc., a Tucson-based nonprofit providing support and advocacy for families and individuals affected by homicide nationwide.

Yuen’s music is witchy and ’60s girl group-inspired dream pop. San Diego City Beat describes her music as “Chelsea Wolfe being backed by The Ventures…that is to say, pretty damn fun”. Yeun hails from the DC music scene but has also lived in NYC, Portland, and Tucson (home of Calexico and Linda Ronstadt). “Yeun” is her Korean middle name given to her from growing up in the Korean cult, The Unification Church (aka The Moonies). Her current lineup of backing musicians is Linus Schief on drums (LAKE, Solid Home Life), Dane Velasquez on lead guitar, Ricky Tutaan on synth (Droll), and Adam Frumhoff on bass (Wanda Junes). She has shared the stage with Joe Jack Talcum (Dead Milkmen), Sasami, Karl Blau, Jon Russell and Tyler Willia of The Head and the Heart, and more.

Your single, “All That Matters Is The Wind” is part of the upcoming Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors. How did you become involved in that project?

I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to contribute a song to this project and have my song be included amongst other artists I admire like Calexico, Dr. Dog, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, just to name a few. It almost didn’t happen. I became involved with the Luz De Vida ll Compilation because Louis of Perpetual Doom (my label) got me in touch with James, who owns Fort Lowell Records. I guess Lou had played him some of my stuff, and they both deeply felt that I needed to be a part of the compilation. The whole compilation was mostly already complete when James had reached out to me, but he really felt like I would be a great addition to the album. I’m so glad that he asked.

Please tell us a little about the new single, and the writing and recording process.

The tricky part was that the song needed to be about two minutes long (that’s the amount of time they had left on the album for another song), and the turnaround time was only a few days. Luckily, my producer and brother-in-law, Daniel, is a recording wizard, and we had figured out a streamlined way to record together throughout quarantine, despite being on different sides of the country. We recorded my first album, Heavenly Sister, in just three days, so I had no worries about us being able to meet the deadline.

I wrote this song during a falling out with a few new friends I had made, a traumatic breakup with someone who was actively involved with the music scene, and the death of a few dear friends. It was my way of grieving that loss, and because I was so new in town, I tended to not go out much and isolated myself a bit to write songs. I made sure to attend the All Souls Procession (the Tucson Dia de Los Muertos celebration) to write the names of those I had lost that year to be tossed into the urn that they light on fire as a way to honor the dead. I wrote six names that year alone.

Is there a particular part of the song or lyric that speaks to you?

Because of the time constraint, I had to cut the song down from its original form. That version included—“so you get the best gigs in town/ oh the sad dance of the clown/ thought I would stick around/ to see another fool get the crown.” It was meant to speak on the gatekeeping culture of music scenes, but I felt it wasn’t fitting and a more outdated version of the message I wanted to come across with this song, so I ended up cutting it. I may release a full version at another time, but I really like the message that the version on the compilation album embodies—sure, things may be hard, and maybe people don’t always understand you, but if we ground ourselves and just listen to something as simple as the wind, we’ll be able to understand that everything passes, including people, but even painful feelings during difficult moments eventually pass too. Like that George Harrison song—All Things Must Pass. All things must pass away.

The proceeds from this compilation album will benefit Tucson’s Homicide Survivors, Inc. What does your involvement in this project mean to you?

I was living on the East Coast during the Tucson shooting ten years ago, and it was heartbreaking to hear about. You can tell that it has left its mark on Tucson. As a Virginia resident, the pain of the Virginia Tech shooting is a lasting memory that permeates just below the surface of the culture—I remember texting friends as they were hiding under their desks. You never really forget something like that. It’s traumatic and I am so glad that Tucson Homicide Survivors exists as a way to support people who have experienced such tragedy.

When did you become involved in music and when did you decide to pursue music as a career?

I’ve truthfully been writing music for as long as I can remember. I use songwriting as a form of emotional processing, and I’m not sure I’ll ever stop. Growing up, we couldn’t afford a piano, so my mom bought a chord organ at a yard sale and it came with a songbook of hits from the ’60s. I had no context, having never heard these songs, so I’d interpret them in my own way—often slow and a little melancholy. For the longest time, I thought, “Take a Letter, Maria” was a sad ballad about a man leaving his cheating wife, but I was surprised to hear it as an up-tempo pop song with a horn section. Regardless, the “sad ’60s” style carried with me into my own songwriting. San Diego City Beat describes my music as, “Chelsea Wolfe backed by The Ventures.”

I decided to finally take my music seriously after seeing the success of an old friend and music collaborator, Jon Russell (of The Head and the Heart). We would stay up late writing songs and jamming in his living room, and you could tell there was something special about him. One day he literally woke up and had a chance opportunity to move to Seattle, with no guarantees waiting for him on the other end, and he took it.

I used that same approach when I had the opportunity to move to Portland several years later. I decided to finally get serious—so I released my first album and formed a band. We were about to tour the West Coast a bit and even sold out a show in San Francisco. It’s an incredible feeling.

What’s your go-to guitar for songwriting, and why?

I picked up my first guitar around age 14. The kid who mowed our lawn was trying to sell it, and my mom bought it from him to help him out. The strings were rusty, and the action was impossible, but I played that sad, broken guitar until my fingers were calloused and bleeding. These days my go-to for songwriting purposes is my Harmony Sovereign—which oddly enough had similar problems when I first bought it for $25. Luckily, I was able to get the neck repaired through a luthier friend in town (Brockway Strings) who made it playable again. It’s a beautiful guitar.

When I’m playing in someone else’s band, I’ll usually write songs on my Telecaster and mess around with my pedals to come up with fun little licks. Recently, my lead guitar player, Dane, and I have gotten into writing harmonizing guitar solos. Something about it just really scratches an itch I didn’t know I had. It’s been a lot of fun.

About Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors

The original Luz de Vida project began in the days after the January 8, 2011 shooting that took the lives of six people and injured 19 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and shook the Tucson community and nation. Luz de Vida – Spanish for Light of Life – is an expression of community, love, healing, grace, and hope, a positive response from Tucson musicians and national artists. More than $20,000 was raised for what was then the Tucson Together Fund to provide aid and comfort to the victims and their families.


The original Tucson Together Fund ceased in 2013 and since then, funds have been donated to Tucson’s Homicide Survivors, Inc. For the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, members of the original Luz de Vida production team (a coalition of Tucson writers, recording engineers, musicians, and artists) are partnering with Homicide Survivors and JFCS of Southern Arizona to release a second compilation record. Again, featuring Tucson and national artists and released on Fort Lowell RecordsLuz de Vida II will be released on November 5th to coincide with the All Soul’s Procession, an annual community ceremony in celebration and mourning of the lives of our loved ones and ancestors.

The original record sleeve included a quote from composer Leonard Bernstein, his November 1963 response to the assassination of President Kennedy, and Luz de Vida II continues in the same spirit: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

Homicide Survivors Inc. is a non-profit organization that’s helping meet the crisis and long-term needs of families of murder victims through support, advocacy, and assistance.

More info on Nov 5 release concert (featuring Hannah) w/ raffle and auction fundraisershttps://homicidesurvivorsinc.org/luz-de-vida/