Eleanor Murray

I can’t write about winter enough. I don’t think I could hold back even if I tried. It’s such a complex season, with so many faces and things to say. That’s not saying that I enjoy it, however. I think I enjoy winter after it leaves and it’s only then can I appreciate what it brought me and see clearly what happened during our insane affair.

For me, it’s a time of projects, writing, and introspection, which are three of my favorite things. But just as the natural world behaves differently for each season, so does creativity. And I think this is where I butt heads with winter. I want to create and release and move these things around in the world. I am so eager for motion. But winter’s movement is slow and sleepy, or sporadic in fitful storms. But maybe if I accept that these creations are seeds in the ground, waiting for spring, winter and I might be able to get along, or at least communicate a little better. And you know what they say, talking helps.

There are a lot of shows this month. Just to remind you, Feb 11th – at the Alamingo House with Joe Capoccia, Kendl Winter, and Angelo Spencer, Feb 17th – at the 4th Ave Tav (flyer above) with Autumn Electric, Secret Plan, and The Bob Schwenkler Experience, and Feb 23rd – at the Northern with Eternal Tapestry, Endless Boogie, and Arboretum.

Other news, a mini-East Coast tour is happening! Solo-style. The plane tickets have been purchased. The time is April 6th-18th and check back for the dates/routes/details. And be sure to check out new videos up from Olympia Winter Nights, filmed here at the Evergreen State College. You can see the whole live set here or watch select songs on the video page. What a fun fun fun night.

Lastly, here are some lyrics for you to read if you like of a new song I’m working on. Take care.

love,
e-dawg

You can try to sell it but it will not sell,
Give it lively colors, say it “promotes good health.”
But we will not buy it and we can not hold it,
And we not do not see it as merchandise.
But we know we feel it and we know we need it
When it comes into our lives.

I went for a walk late at night after being bed-bound from a bad cold for a couple of days. The night felt so vibrant and bright, I felt so close to it and so close to myself. I began to think about music and what it means to me and I was surprised to see that I’ve strayed these past two months from this meaning, which has inevitably made me very confused and depressed. Music is spiritual for me. I don’t follow any religion but I do embrace what I call spirit. I describe it as the underlying breath of things or an intuitive magic. This spiritual place is where my motivation to sing and play comes from, it’s where the songs are written. It is the source that fuels and sustains music for me.

It’s so easy to lose sight of this. But I’ve seen when I trust and embrace the spiritual side of music, I become fulfilled beyond any of my expectations. There is an overwhelming sense of things falling into place.

So I developed this exercise on my walk, a meditation for myself, to continue to remind myself where music belongs to me. I’m also including a live version of Cathedral recorded on No Love For Ned online radio. Enjoy.

love,
eleanor

I imagine the holiest of spaces. And every inch of its existence was built for the sole purpose of holding and expressing the sound within it. It is a cathedral, a temple, or a shrine, but with no context, definition, or history. I am viewing the architecture of this space. I imagine how every piece of it was built intentionally to house and amplify holy sound. Sound intended to bring those in its experience closer and closest, to spirit.

This song belongs here. This is its place, its home. This is where it was written. Its purpose is the purpose of this space: to awaken the spirit. There is no performer or audience, there is nothing to sell. Those ideas do not apply here. The idea that this song comes another’s voice has no relevance. It is only an appearance. This is our voice, our song. This is where we sing. This is where we write. This is where we hear and crumble.

January has been the month for recording! What better timing than the dead of a Northwest winter. I’ve started a new band with my violinist, Pam Margon, called Tattered Dress. We’re a folkie-fiddly duo and have just made our first recording! We play traditional fiddle songs, old cowboy covers, and folk originals. Pat Maley, of the legendary Yo-Yo Recordings, recorded us performing live in my little one-room house. We plan to release the album sometime this spring.

Also, this week the Eleanor Murray band is recording our first vinyl record! We are recording a LIVE version of Oh Thunder. We are planning to release this record on Talking Helps Records, sometime in the near future. This recording will feature the new band, plus song variations and changes. Think Scream but with some real screaming this time.

Other news…a mini EAST COAST TOUR in the works for this spring. If you have any help or resources to offer, please write us at info (at) eleanormurray.com . We would greatly appreciate it! We also have a greater US tour in line for this summer so stay tuned for dates!

love,
eleanor

I had a dream last night where I was holding onto the side of a giant ship. It was soaring through the sea and I was barely holding on. I could let go at any moment, fly out, and crash into the water. It was exhilarating and extremely difficult at the same time. But I kept holding on and the fierce water and wind excited every bone in my body.

Soon I was holding on to the bottom of the ship, completely submerged in the water, but I could see and breathe there. Still going full speed, I could now see other travelers riding beside this ship. There were hundreds of dolphins effortlessly swimming beside us. There was one enormous whale too, rough with barnacles on its skin. The whale would rub up against the ship, not knowing its size or its potential danger.

I’ve found with dreams that there are certain environments and certain images that give me a profound sensation of comfort and belonging. This dream of traveling at high speeds through rough and dangerous waters, beside fantastic, curious creatures, gives me this feeling. This is a path I want to follow: challenging and scary yet intensely rewarding. All in all, that’s a pretty close description to what touring is for me. The road is overwhelmingly painted in the unknown and undetermined, yet there are moments where I get that feeling in my bones. A feeling of terror, excitement, and awe.

love,
eleanor

You know what they say? Well, I’ll tell you. They say that websites are like new haircuts that you give yourself when you’re feeling like you’re losing your mind during the treacherous, dark winters in the Northwest. Yep. …They are a work in progress. As you might have noticed, this website has been changing its identity a few times during this past year. But I’ve finally settled, I think. I hope.

And haircuts are very similar! I got home from tour this past November to find myself back in Olympia to face the dreaded DECEMBER! December is by far the hardest month in the Northwest. It’s very easy to go crazy. But sometimes craziness can inspire awesome things…like HAIRCUTS! Long story short, I gave myself a haircut that over the course of three weeks or so, evolved shorter and shorter, until I landed on the most supreme result: a shaven head. But just on one side. And it feels incredible.

Other news…January is the month for recording. A vinyl is in the works??!! Get outta here. Actually, you should probably stay. And check out this identity-crisis-no-more that is my website.

love,
eleanor