A song is a recipe. It’s not a fixed thing to be reproduced like a grainy copy of a copy of an old document. It should live and adjust with whoever is cooking the meal, a new dish every time.
When I wrote the songs for my second album, Braided Together, I was dealing with endless hypotheticals and “what if’s.” I knew I wanted to make my pure Americana statement, but how did I want to approach that as a contemporary classical music soprano and songwriter? How would I stay true to all the pieces of myself while creating something more recognizable from a genre perspective?
The way it played out was funny and surprising to me. Songs that I deemed too simple or obvious have been fan favorites. My big, serious, emotional showstoppers have been called overly complex by some and beloved by others. In the end, we can’t predict what listeners will connect with. I love the unpredictability and I want that variety in my music. Mostly, I want to serve something delicious to the folks who are taking the time to listen.
More surprising than the album reception was learning the performability of each song during my album tour. Most of these tunes went from sheet music to studio without seeing a stage, which meant I had never felt the live audience reaction, and WHEW! That’s a different experience than the studio! Watching your audience be visibly excited or noticeably distracted during a performance is something I’m totally used to after multiple decades in the biz, but when it’s your own songs about your own life, it hits differently.
One song in particular, Please People, had the biggest 180 for me. This was one of those “simple,” toss off songs that I wrote in an hour, editing a bit later, and was certain listeners would find trite and corny. I like the studio version, but this song needs a stage. I fully felt this difference at Reverb Lounge in Omaha, NE. Maybe it was playing banjo, which isn’t on the recording, maybe it was that I went full blast with my vocals for the live rendition, maybe it was Evelyn Thom’s raging fiddle solo. Whatever it was, I was blown away by the energy from the audience performing this song. It brought the house down and made me realize that when we write a song, it’s like making a recipe for the first time. Hesitant and careful, unsure what it will really taste like. But a creative cook knows, after you’ve spent a few years making something, you start put your own spin on it. You learn where you can push the limit and take a risk, and you know which recipes will be crowd pleasers for the holiday potluck.
I’m deep into the creation of my next album, and as much as I love all of these new songs, I feel like I already have ideas about which ones will bring the house down and which ones are better suited for the chill, coffeehouse vibe. But who knows? I’ve certainly been wrong before.
REVERB LOUNGE SET LIST
June 19, 2025
Omaha, Nebraska
With Fiddle in the Middle: Jesse Langen, Steve Morrow, Evelyn Thom
Double Bill with Ben Eisenberger
Storm
I dunno Jack
Quick Trips
Irish set from Fiddle in the Middle
Please People
Mama Rolls On
Sweet Annie
Papio
