Album Notes

Bio-Shmio: Biographies and autobiographies on artist websites intrigue me. What are they really for anyway? For those artists who are seeking publicity, bios are often heavily quoted in articles that feature the artist. Sometimes potential fans read these things to gain some greater insight into someone's style or creative "angle" artistically before (or after) becoming familiar with their work.

After reading hundreds of artist bios, one thing is for certain; most of them end up sounding the same. Therefore I've decided here to tell you a quick story instead of feeding you the standard bio. This is about me and it goes something like this:

In August of 1979 there was a severe hurricane called David that clobbered the Caribbean as a category 5. Eventually it hit landfall at a category 1, making it's way up the East Coast of the U.S. with winds at about 75+ miles per hour. At the time my family lived on a farm in southern Maryland next to wide-open fields and acres of woods.

Several hours before the brunt of Hurricane David arrived, winds building, my father had an interesting idea. He decided to fashion a parachute-like contraption out of a large, square sheet of plastic. He tied each corner with a separate cord of rope. He then gathered the four cords of rope together and fastened them to a thick piece of tree branch as a handle. Winds were ripping through the yard as my 5 year-old brother and I (8 year-old tomboy) watched in amazement as dad quickly assembled his newest toy. We weren't sure what we were in for but our dad always knew how to have the most fun so we were game!

At first the plastic filled halfway with wind and become awkward like a large out-of-control kite. Then a full-on surge, hurricane proportionate gust, took control of the sheet of plastic like the sail of a ship and next thing I knew my feet were 4 feet off the ground and I was literally barnstorming our vegetable garden. My brother was giggling with glee as my father ran after me yelling, "Dawny, let go if I tell you to, okay?" It was pretty obvious Dad was having visions of me flying off like Mary Poppins. Next thing I know, Dad's strong hands have my ankles and I'm earthbound once again, exhilarated and safe.

Moments like those will stay with you for a lifetime. Experiencing complete presence in the "now" in that heightened state of awareness; pulsing with energy and feeling joy as a tangible thing deep in your guts. That's how I feel for the art of music. Every time I make music I am seeking to be in that kind of moment again. That's my bio. Please listen to the songs to learn the rest. Thanks! - Dawn