Hear the sounds of Fortune's Gale (aka Gale B. Gardiner) on Forever & Always (F&A - D.C. area producer Jim Houck’s push for her to enter Sweetbriar College’s '02 Singer / Songwriter Fest). Her 1st full length CD TIMELESS LOVE: Old, New, Borrowed, Blue, Strong & True with fine reviews is at www.cdbaby.com/cd/galebgardiner2 . Two Timeless Love CD tracks (Flowers of Edinburgh and the original Glasgow Farewell) were chosen by NBC Channel 4 CT Perspectives 2012 St. Patrick's Day week for background music during the 3/11/12 O'Reilly's Irish Gift Store segment! Gale was asked to provide theme music for their show also (will keep you posted). Gale's newest CD, over 60 min. ,WELCOME HOME, is at www.cdbaby.com/cd/galebgardiner3! CD & Digital sales benefit 3 summer music programs -two for orphans-in Bosnia/Croatia, & Port au Prince, Haiti, and a third for impoverished Lakota Indians on the SD Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.
Following a month schedule are response highlights to Gale's music & liner notes to Forever & Always. All events in CT & accessible unless noted) (P)=piano (NA)=no alcohol. Check venue if coming a distance..., also if coming to open mics (plans may change with short notice)-Long term schedule MySpace
Wed. 4th - Plainville - Acoustic Open Mic benefit for Food Bank Main St. Church of Our Savior 7pm $3 or food donation (P)
Sat. 14th - Bristol - Recovery Club Open mic Host 67 West St. donations to club NA
Thurs. 19th - Woodbury - Cafe City Hall 'Third Thursday' Main St. Showcase/open mic (behind Curtis Inn) FREE (P)
Fri. 27th - South Glastonbury- Arm2Arm Benefit Gala South Congregational Church 6:30-10pm (P)
Sat. 28th-Southington-Jitters Coffeehouse - Fortune's Gale & Friends -More Welcome Home & original favorites - to benefit orphans in Haiti & Mostar (Bosnia
Croatia, and Lakota Indians on Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation (SD) via Simply Smiles & Kristen Graves) 7-9pm $5
Sun. 29th-New Britain-Museum of American Art- Ekphractics Poetry Exile Press Book release-Fortune's Gale Moderator,
music with Conduit (TIbetan gongs) 1pm-4pm FREE (P)
Feb. 24th was the CDBaby digital distribution release for new CD Welcome Home www.cdbaby.com/cd/galebgardiner3! Physical CD orders available via CDBaby early March. CD. Digital release interview Fri. Feb. 24th at 6pm on WWUH 91.3FM by Larry Bilansky, host. So far special guests for the concert include Roberta Banks, Kevin Gallagher, Marek Kowolek, and hopefully a few more. January 2012-Mastering/mixing of CD Welcome Home ONE Jan. 2012! thanks to Jeff Root at Roots Cellar Westminister, MA, individual CDs now available at shows. Honored to be invited to go to Brazil (Sao Paulo & Rio) with a People to People delegation of Musicians in Aug. 2011, keeping focused on finishing the Welcome Home CD for Winter 2011 release & excited to discover what new music may follow me home from South America! In September 2010 she was asked for the 3rd time to host the Hope Out Loud Coffeehouse for their 9th Peace/Arts Fest (since 9/11) in Bushnell Park (Hartford,CT)-this time with co-host Vanessa Stevens of the Purple Song Project. Then Fortune's Gale was asked to host music for the 1st PANASO benefit (Pan African North American Solidarity Org.) in Blue Back Square, W. Hartford, CT & was joined by Donna Gentile & Friends. In July 2010 she was asked to do a Triple Play..Bull Run (Shirley, MA) with Dale Reyolds & Torch Song Triology with Jane Fallon the next night, Yankee Days in Newburyport (MA) Market Square the next day. March & May 2010 she was asked to open for bands at The Webster Underground, Hartford, CT ( & do Rose of Allendale, on Forever & Always CD & lyrics with "Fortune's Gale"), & Forever & Always (title track) with Cornelius Dowd's 12 string Guild loan-originally recorded on a 12 string). In Jan. '09 she was asked by Guy Gilchrist (Nashville hit) to split bill at Pineloft Cafe Berlin, CT. For July 4th 2009, Mark Pollard of Cold Sweat asked her to join him on songs at Margaritas (Canton,CT). Bass player Cliff' complimented ~ Gordon Lightfood's 'Beautiful' harmony 'should have been recorded'. She was invited to perform Forever & Always, (& Timeless Love), songs for CT&Cox Cable Access Music/talk Shows "Solly's Friends" ('07 & Fall '08 in Winsted, Granby, Simsbury, Enfield (CT) Cox cable towns & Westfield (MA) cable area), as well as "Did You Know?" ('08 Wethersfield & greater Manchester,CT). She was chosen 3/07's CT Live Music Local Spotlight. Groton, MA's Stagecoach Inn 5- Star Friday Showcase awarded her it's '06 songwriting trophy,
Thanks to Univ. of Hartford artist, Josh, who created 3 works about my music for the 9th Annual Women's Composer Fest art/music collaboration (15 artists portrayed 15 composers). The exhibit was at Tisane Tea & Coffee Bar, Hartford, CT. The major piece was inspired by Forever & Always ( liner note below 'tossing child in the air'), a 2nd by the Dalmatian Suite 1st movement Creation (discography on Timeless Love CDbaby site below), a 3rd by "Strands of Hair" not recorded yet...
Specific track info (not on CD insert):
#1 How Can I Say I Love You? - It was originally, How Can I Say I'm Sorry. Gale's mom said 'can't you write anything upbeat?'...so she kept the melody and wrote new lyrics,singing it at her 1st gig. It was requested by a couple the next week when they returned.
#2 Right Person, Place & Thyme - Written during Augusta Festival Autoharp Workshop in '99, Gale's neighbor asked her to record it for a May wedding. Gale brought a blank tape to sounding board at Tortilla Factory (Herndon (VA) Folk club, and that is where Jim Houcke heard her (& asked her to sing ballads on his next CD, wanted her to submit to Lileth Festival, & encouraged her submission to Sweetbriar College 2002 Singer Songwriter Festival...
#3 Mother, Baby & Me - Lyrics were written by Gale's brother Randy for he & wife Kathy's first daughter Joy. Melody came to her on OH to CT flight after seeing her six week old niece. Producer of Forever & Always, Larry Cooper insisted it be included after Gale picked up her guitar to sing it as a way to calm his one year old daughter while they tried to record. Larry said people would 'stop and listen' - it was the song chosen by West Hartford Cafe (CT) to play overhead...
#4 Rose of Allendale - Gale 1st heard this in Norway done by Harvey Reid & Joannie Maden (Cherish the Ladies) with exquisite harmonies at the '99 Vikedal Roots Festival. Gale had been in Europe for work & visited friends in Bergen 60 miles from festival that weekend. Most beautiful drive of her life (60 miles but 5 hours & 2 ferry crossings over fjords)! Gale learned the song from Mary Black's CD & considers it one of the most challenging & rewarding vocals she's ever done.
# 5 - Forever & Always is an example of how new music often falls from the sky during Gale's travels - this one came in Oslo, Norway '99, on a Sat. walking down Kierkevein (Church St.) after seeing a father 'toss' his infant into the air, both laughing - a pure moment of unconditional love & unconditional trust between parent & child. She 'heard' a fiddle playing, but no time to include one for this EP. She hopes you 'hear' the fiddle somehow during the vocal interlude...
#6 - Sea Fever - Masefield's 1909 poem (UK Poet Laureate) was the inspiration for this melody, Gale's 1st foray into shanty-writing. It was on the Final program of a York, ME Waterways '95 Songwriting contest where she went when her submission wasn't a 'top 10' (she'd sent Brook Waltz, now on her Dalmatian Suite CD). They wanted shanties, not waltzes! It's enjoyed by others like Gale with 'sea fever'!
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