Dan & Faith

Hello!

We’ve been out on the road for a month now, and we’ve definitely gotten into the rhythm of the road. Our home life and our road life both have a rhythm to them. Some things are the same, of course — preparing for the day, meals, etc. But the road brings us some different things to deal with. Where are we walking or hiking today, and what impact will the weather have on that? Where are we staying tonight? Why did the van lose power overnight, and where can we get that fixed? Yep, challenges happen on the road sometimes, too! But we’ve learned to be flexible, and are willing to change plans to compensate. So the planned trip home through Ontario turned into a slightly longer trip home (after a successful repair!) through Shenandoah National Park, and it’s still a gorgeous drive even this late in the foliage season. We’ve missed the first snow flurries at home, but that’s fine by us! I’m sure Mother Nature will have more for us once we’re home.

We’re starting off our musical month practically in our own back yard, with a radio interview hosted by Evan Parks on WOOL-FM (Black Sheep Radio!) in Bellows Falls, VT on Friday, November 8th at 5pm Eastern time. Evan’s show, “It’s Flocking Friday”, covers area happenings and music both worldwide and local. Come join the Flock for Black Sheep Radio’s gateway to the weekend! You can listen in the Bellows Falls area on 91.5FM, or online at blacksheepradio.org (click on “Listen Now”).

The following Thursday, November 14th, we’re back on the radio with our good friend DJ Nick Noble at WICN-FM in Worcester, MA, but this time we’re bringing a guest! Deb Seymour, a Seattle area singer-songwriter, is in visiting us for a few days in November, so we’re introducing her to Nick. Deb’s songs, ranging from the delightfully quirky tales of hitch-hiking chickens and tango-dancing Martians to the unexpectedly intriguing subject of colonoscopies, paint a vivid and memorable tapestry. With each performance, Deb seamlessly combines clever wordplay with masterful guitar artistry, creating moments that are as heartwarming as they are humorous. Sounds like there will be a couple of additional local guests on the show that evening as well. Should be fun! Nick’s show, The Folk Revival, runs 7-10pm Eastern time. Tune in on 90.5FM in the Worcester area, or listen live at WICN.org.

We’ve heard about the Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts Center in Middletown, CT for years, and are thrilled to be playing there on Friday, November 15th! The Buttonwood Tree is an art gallery, bookstore, and live music venue whose mission is to uplift, inspire, educate, and enrich lives through artistic and cultural programming, while supporting the creative endeavors of emerging and established artists. The show starts at 7:30pm. Seats are $15 apiece, and can be purchased online in advance or at the door.

Pastor Liz Magill has asked us back to play music for the church service she leads at the UCC Church On The Common in Rindge, NH. We have played there before, and found the congregation to be warm and welcoming. The service is Sunday, November 17th at 10am. All are welcome!

Swapping songs with other musicians is a treat for us, and doing it with a friend is even better! Deb Seymour, our Seattle friend who we’re taking to WICN-FM earlier in the month, will be swapping songs with us at Ciao Popolo in Bellows Falls, VT on Monday, November 18th from 5:30-8pm. We’re looking forward to hearing a bunch of Deb’s songs and getting to hang out with her for the evening. Come enjoy a good Italian dinner at Ciao Popolo and see where the musical muse takes us!

For any fellow musicians who will be attending the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) conference in Portland, ME from Thursday, November 21st through Sunday, November 24th, let’s meet up!

We’re excited to have our new album, Who We Are, now available out on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services, in addition to Bandcamp. It’s also out for radio airplay starting this month. If your local radio station has a folk music show, keep an ear out for us! And speaking of the new album, it would make a great holiday gift for your music-loving family and friends.

As Thanksgiving is coming up soon, we would like to share Dan’s note of thanks to a couple who offered him a peaceful, loving space back in his early college years. Thanks For The Memories, Toshi and Pete Seeger!

Our albums Who We Are, Then and Now, Seeking, and Simple Grace are available from us at shows and on our website, through Bandcamp, or you can find them at iTunes and most other online music stores. Our music is also available streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

As always, you can find additional schedule information on our website. For additional content, follow us on Patreon. For more frequent news updates and information, check out our Facebook fan page.

November is the season for giving thanks, and we are thankful for you!

Dan & Faith

Hello!

We have some big news this month! But first…

The hillsides around us are turning lovely shades of red, orange and yellow. The zucchini apocalypse is pretty much over. We’re still harvesting amazing peppers, both hot and sweet, as well as celery and kale. There are beautiful Kennebec potatoes out there with a bit of digging, and we likely have enough butternut squash to feed us all winter. And tomatoes. Such tomatoes! Perfect brandywine (beefsteak) tomatoes that slice perfectly for lunchtime tomato sandwiches, and an insane number of cherry tomatoes. We’ve been giving away cherry tomatoes right and left, and they keep coming… Peaches and pears are done, and we’re trying to figure out how best to store our apples so they’ll keep while we’re on the road.

Yes, we’re headed out on the road this month! First stop is in Bloomington, IN for the Hoosier Original Music Association (HOOMAC) Songwriters Showcase at Sleeper’s Bar on Tuesday, October 8th. We appreciate the HOOMAC folks considering us honorary Hoosiers! Music runs 7-9pm.

From there, we head to Coffeyville, KS for a weeklong residency as part of the Humanities Community Outreach program run by Artists Of Note. This program brings live performances and diverse experiences to a series of shows for active seniors, high school and college students in the area. As part of the program, we will be giving a free public concert on Tuesday, October 15th at the Coffeyville Community College’s Spencer/Rounds Theater. Music starts at 6pm.

For any fellow musicians who will be attending the Folk Alliance Regional Midwest Conference (FARM) in Naperville, IL from Thursday, October 24th through Sunday, October 27th, let’s meet up!

So what’s our big news? We are delighted to announce that our new album, Who We Are, is now available on our Bandcamp page! The songs cover a wide range of joy and sadness, melancholy and hope, blending various instruments with storytelling lyrics that evoke the people and places in our lives. It was produced by our dear friend (and amazing songwriter in his own right) Joe Jencks, mixed by Mark Dann (who mixed and mastered our previous album, Then and Now), and mastered by Grammy winner Charlie Pilzer of Tonal Park Studios. It will be available on other streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) on October 18th, and out for radio promotion in November and December. Rather than do a basic DigiPak CD jacket, we produced a 70 page paperback book that’s the same size as a CD jacket filled with lyrics, stories, photos, and drawings to accompany each song. We hope that, even if you plan to listen to it via streaming, you’ll consider picking up the book as a companion to your listening experience. And if you come to one of our shows, we’ll have copies with us!

Conveniently, this Friday, October 4th, is Bandcamp Friday! During the bleak Covid days of 2020, Bandcamp declared the first Friday of the month to be Bandcamp Friday, where they reduce their cut of album sales on the platform. They have continued this tradition since then (though not necessarily every month). So if you’d like to pick up a copy of Who We Are, this Friday would be an excellent choice of days to do it! Though we appreciate your picking it up (or any of our earlier albums or singles!) at any time. And don’t forget, the holidays are approaching! Music is an excellent gift.

One last thing — if you are eligible to vote in US elections, get yourself registered and then VOTE! If you’re already registered, check the status of your registration to make sure it’s up to date. And if you’re lucky enough to live in a state where there is early voting, take advantage of that, too. We’re five weeks out from Election Day, and every vote counts, up and down the ballot.

Our albums Then and Now, Seeking, and Simple Grace are available from us at shows and on our website, through Bandcamp, or you can find them at iTunes and most other online music stores. Our music is also available streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

As always, you can find additional schedule information on our website. For additional content and stories from the road, follow us on Patreon. For more frequent news updates and information, check out our Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter (@danandfaith).

Our hearts and thoughts are with our friends and all the folks who are recovering from the wrath of Hurricane Helene. From landfall in Florida up through the mountains of North Carolina, those areas are familiar to us. They all have a lot of work ahead to recover from this. Let’s help them as much as we can.

Dan & Faith