GAELYNN LEA'S GRATITUDE NEWSLETTER
Happy Thanksgiving to You and Yours!
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Greetings!
I just wanted to take a moment today to express my gratitude for each of you. I know that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, so maybe this is just an ordinary Thursday in your world... So in that case, I'm calling today Thankful Thursday just as an excuse to send you this note.
Perhaps more than anything else, being on the road has opened my eyes to the amazing range of humanity. There are SO MANY different people out there, and each of us has our own unique light that we add to the world. There is beauty in this diversity - diversity of race, gender, age, income, ability, personality and interests. The world is just a freaking beautifully intricate place and each of us is essential to its tapestry in a way we'll never fully understand.
Often when we're touring, Paul and I only get to touch down in that city for 24 hours or less. I will never cease to wonder how you folks, again and again, make us feel welcomed and connected in such a short window of time. I think it is done by the fact that you are offering us each a precious gift - your presence. This is not cheap talk, I am getting a little teary-eyed as I write this. From the people who host the shows, to the audience members we chat with afterwards, to the exchange of soul energy that happens when you play on-stage with another human being... All of these little moments of presence have power and meaning and I cherish them each deeply.
Earlier this month I had a chance to attend
Life is a Verb Camp
as a performer, and filmmaker
Nic Askew
engaged us with The Power of Presence. He told us that we really are OK just the way we are... That presence surrounds us even if we're not aware of it. I learned that we literally don't have to DO anything to be valuable. We just have to be here, now, in the present. I have a hunch that presence is God by a different name.
So this Thanksgiving and every day after, find those powerful moments of presence and keep them in your hearts. Bring your presence to the ones who you love and even to your so-called enemies. You don't have to
do
anything to have value. You are already a miracle. Thank you for bringing your presence to my life - you make this all worthwhile.
Love,
Gaelynn Lea
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Arts & Access: Grateful for POSITIVE CHANGE
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So as many of you know, this past year I made a decision not to perform at inaccessible venues anymore. I require that each place I perform have an accessible entrance, accessible bathrooms, and an accessible place to view the stage. I also decided that if a venue didn't have a ramp to the stage that I would perform on the floor. This is partly a safety concern (for me, my wheelchair and the staff), but it is also a protest/call to action for venues to become accessible for both audience members *and* artists. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires new businesses to be fully accessible -- and that existing businesses make reasonable modifications to become accessible! -- was passed over 29 years ago. As far as I see it, if a venue hasn't either made modifications or relocated to a new building by this point, they are perpetuating the discrimination of disabled people in America. That may seem kind of hard-line, but if we don't demand change now (after 29 years of accessibility being the law) I fear we are just pushing back progress another three decades.
Well, to be honest, these criteria I have in place for touring make finding venues a lot more difficult. Many places are just straight-up not options because they lack basic accessibility. Some venues are accessible for customers but then I am having to do lots and lots of troubleshooting with the venues ahead of the show to get me on the stage. Sometimes I still end up playing on the floor. It can be pretty exhausting. And the fact that the majority of other artists continue to book shows at inaccessible venues just compounds my sense of frustration. There is so much work to be done.
But since this is a Thanks-Giving Newsletter, I wanted to take a few minutes to shed some light on the venues and people to are MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE in arts and accessibility... Because in the midst of this labor, there have been some huge bright spots this November.
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So here's my ARTS ACCESS GRATITUDE LIST :
- Feed and Seed in Fletcher, NC held a fundraiser in September and then surprised me with the news that they'd used the money to install a permanent stage lift ahead of my show in November. They are so excited they can now advertise as fully accessible! I almost cried when the owner told me about the lift. Amazing.
- UU Church of Buffalo, NY recently installed accessible seating in their historic sanctuary. Then they got a ramp so I could be on stage when I performed on Saturday night and then gave the sermon the next day. A bunch of amazing disability SANYS advocates planned the show and many more advocates attended. I was the first person in a wheelchair to be up at the pulpit in their church.
- Arts/West in Athens, OH purchased a permanent ramp at their space ahead of my performance. That ramp was used two other times that same week I was there!
- The Second City in Chicago built a beautiful permanent ramp to their stage just in time for me to participate in 24 Hour Improv, which is an event supporting a totally wonderful nonprofit called Poverty Alleviation Charities.
- First Avenue in Minneapolis is going to do a fundraiser in 2020 for a portable stage lift that can be easily transported in a trailer & used at all 5 of their venues!
- The Minnesota Access Alliance, MN State Arts Board and Springboard for the Arts are all engaging in a meaningful discussion with me about how we can develop a program that provides access equipment like ramps and stage lifts for disabled artists on an as-needed basis. I'm looking forward to finding solutions together!
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Anyway, I know we still have a long way to go regarding accessibility in the music industry, but I have a deep-seated sense of hope that things are beginning to change for the better. Thank you to each and every person who is pushing this change forward.
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A November to Remember!
Opening for Pigface & Wilco
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So life is intense sometimes, and November seemed to be particularly so, in the best of ways. This month I had the opportunity to open for not one but TWO amazing bands. The first band is called
Pigface
and they are an industrial rock supergroup from Chicago who are doing their first tour in 14 years. I am joining them on a total of 5 shows and so far it's been a blast. I am not usually hanging around with folks from metal bands so the musical variety has been a delight... Each person in the band has their own career and musical stylings, but every single performer is ridiculously talented. Plus the members of Pigface are like family - so nice and thoughtful and fun to be around. I am grateful to
Martin Atkins
, the band's fearless leader, for asking me to join them. Three more shows to go - in Kansas City (TONIGHT), Minneapolis (Friday), and Chicago (Saturday)!
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The second band is called
Wilco
, and I gotta say, these folks are tied with The Decemberists as my favorite band of all time. Wilco's lyrics, musicality and the lead singer Jeff Tweedy's ability to totally captivate an audience really influenced how I think about music today. It was a dream come true when they asked me to open for them on November 24th in St Paul, and I knew immediately there was no one I'd rather share that opportunity with than my band-mates and friends Dave Mehling and Al Church.
Dave and Al have been my main guitarists since winning the Tiny Desk Contest in 2016 and we have become good friends to boot. I knew they both also grew up listening to Wilco (in Duluth, our hometown!) and that this concert would be even cooler if the three of us could do it together. What I didn't expect is that Jeff Tweedy would ask us to join Wilco onstage to jam with them during the encore. You can't make this stuff up. Al and Dave are rocking the tambourines and I played a fiddle solo towards the end of their tune "Califormia Stars"... This may make the top of my list for surreal experiences.
It is worth mentioning that Jeff Tweedy & his entire band & crew are some of the nicest people we have ever met. Their enthusiasm and joy and genuine friendliness did not go unnoticed. It reminds you that good people are everywhere, and for that I'm grateful.
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As if opening for Wilco and Pigface wasn't wild enough, November had one more trick up her sleeve... On the 25th I was asked to perform for an event called
24 Hour Improv
in Chicago. This fundraising event supports
Poverty Alleviation Charities
, which is a nonprofit started 23 years ago by Heather Whinna. This organization surprises a number of Chicago-area families in need on Christmas Day with gifts, household items and $10,000 cash that can be spent with no stipulations or conditions. It is generosity at its finest, and I was honored to be a small part of the festivities.
It just so happens that Jeff Tweedy from Wilco lives in Chicago, so each year he puts a house concert up for auction at the event and performs a short acoustic set. Because we'd just jammed in St Paul, he asked if I wanted to sit in with him during his set. Happily, I obliged... I never thought I'd be playing with Jeff Tweedy two days in a row! When we got on-stage he remarked: "This is the 24-hour anniversary of us playing together."
So this year I am not only grateful to Wilco and Pigface, but all the fine folks who make Poverty Alleviation Charities run... They raised $200,000 that night! The holidays are made brighter and more meaningful because of events, organizations and people like this. Those who see a need and take action to meet it... That is inspiring to me. I am hoping to do my tiny part on December 23rd when I help host "Home for the Holidays" at Wussow's Concert Cafe in Duluth. This year we'll be donating 50% of the profits to
Poverty Alleviation Charities
. But there are local ways to support families during the holidays, too! In Minnesota you can research
Best Christmas Ever
and surely there are similar programs like this all over the world. Giving matters. Compassion matters.
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Rest & Restore This December!
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The last couple of months have been filled with travels and adventure, but I am excited to get home on December 9th. We miss our family and friends and our little dog Clara! I love the festivities of Christmas, Solstice, and planning out a fresh New Year. I am also looking forward to working on my book about touring, music and disability culture. Once we land back in Duluth, I am only doing one show before 2020:
Home for the Holidays
at Wussow's Concett Cafe on December 23rd. I can't wait to reconnect with the people and places who mean so much to me. I can't wait to take a little time to breathe, to rest, to restore.
I hope you also get some moments to rest and restore this holiday season. That you can feel the power of presence in your daily life. That you can remember to breathe.
Take good care, my Friend, until we meet again!
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Tour Dates: 2019 Holiday Season
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