Album Notes

J. Lalah Simcoe was born Judith Fine in Los Angeles and composed her first song, a march, at age 9. A future recording will reveal:

Just how little Judy - from Studio City - Became Lalah from La-La Land.

Lalah played acoustic guitar and sang traditional folk songs in the L.A. area in the 60's and became a member of the 5-woman New York-based group The Womenfolk. She later returned to California, continuing to write songs and performing occasionally while raising two children and pursuing interests in natural foods, alternative education, eastern and western spirituality and human nature. In 1985 Lalah's family moved to Charlottesville, VA where she and her husband Jim Simcoe own and operate the Bluegrass Grill & Bakery.

Lalah's daughter, Joia Sellam, is also both an accomplished singer-songwriter and a restaurant owner; she and her husband Karim Sellam are the proprietors of Ristorante Al Dente in Charlottesville. Son Daniel Simcoe is a skilled blacksmith and leathersmith and a trained security consultant, currently serving in the U.S. military.

Lalah has practiced yoga meditation for over 30 years. She is certified as a psychic counselor by the American Association of Professional Psychics.

ABOUT THE CD LIGHTSPEED LALAH SAYS:

I've waited a long time to be able to hear my songs recorded the way I hear them in my head.

To me what Bobby, Sam, Ben and Brian did is miraculous - I would play a little riff or phrase and say "Build on this," and what they played would come out not only expressing perfectly but exceeding my concept. I'm especially grateful to Bobby for the beautiful way he combined and coordinated every aspect of the recording; to his wife Sara for assisting with the sessions on what were supposed to be Bobby's once-weekly days off, so I could record on my once-weekly days off from the restaurant; to Miles for hearing my music while he was getting ready to be born; and to Stella for demonstrating during a playback of "Mandala" that there is a puppy dog at the center of everything.

Ideally I'd like to have a song (or songs) of mine recorded by an established artist (or artists) as a way to meet a larger potential audience. I'm always interested in a performance venue where it's appropriate to be lyric-oriented and non-acoustic at the same time.

Thank you so much for listening,
Lalah Simcoe