Bonnie Raitt, Tim O'Brien, Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes, Sally Van Meter, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Patty Griffin, Ry Cooder, Ryan Adams, Ray Charles, Tom Waitts, Mike Auldridge...
WOW! Thanks to your votes, I won the Lennon Award in the FOLK category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest! I'm so psyched! Now I get to make a new solo record AND I'm up for "Song of the Year" too! I'll find out in July- wahooo!! Thanks a ton!
Here's some bio-esq-type info...
I was a fire-eater at 13 because I couldn't stand the high wire. My 3rd grade music teacher told me I'd never be good at anything except the violin. I played Giants Stadium in high school with my ULTRA COOL East Ramapo HS marching band (that's right, we WERE cool!!). I'm really great at burning toast and I for some reason I can hear things that other people can't hear (like a phone on vibrate in the next room).
OH, you want to know about my music?
Ok, here's the shpeal...
I've been in lotsa bands & singing groups growing up and in my adult life. Now I'm in a real fun female trio called Red Molly. I get to play Dobro (slide guitar, think Jerry Douglas except I haven't quite caught up to him yet!) and sing harmonies/lead vocals in that band all over the place. I also do swing dance gigs with my dad Herb Gardner and a 5-piece awesome band. We recorded a swing record together back in 2004 (check it out here.) and I recorded an EP and a full-length CD with Red Molly too (www.redmolly.com.) My solo record just came out in April 2006 and it's heavy on the Dobro cause I'm obsessed with the instrument (check it out here.)
Oh and here are some of those bragging things I can tell ya too...
2008 American Songwriter Magazine 1st Place Lyric Contest (Nov)
2007 Independent Music World Series Northeast finalist
2006 Independent Music World Series Northeast finalist,
2006 Rocky Mtn Folks Festival New Song Contest finalist,
2004 John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner,
and I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston University's Sarget College of Allied Health Professions. Yay for me! :)
I made a beautiful record with Anthony da Costa in three short days this February. Not because either of us needed a product to sell, but because we NEEDED to record these songs in a real, raw, powerful way. It's called "Bad Nights / Better Days" and you can hear it by clicking on this link...
After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace...
Poem 162 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse (please see my blog): TEES TO TYNE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS - SUMMER 2001
Where traditions are not so rare; Sea, country and works scent the air; A multitude of monuments, Planted tubs and patterned pavements.
The longish pedestrian malls; The remnants of defensive walls; Historic buildings are a gauge Of the respect for heritage.
Wheat, rape and pines in the fields; Estuaries guarded by shields; Long sandy beaches and wide scenes; Romantic-ruin go-betweens.
Rivers in parts licked by trees, Or fringed by boat clubs, wharfs, gantries, And crossed by practical delights - Varied spans, forming pleasing sights.
Fine churches headed at Durham; Football kits ad infinitum; Kept castles - one for study; Masonry behind masonry.
And, with moulding-works out that way, It’s somewhere for a longer stay..?
At dis moment in time 10 million people r having sex.5 million people r drinking coffee.100 million people r sleeping & 1 stupid fool is reading my text!pass on
Learning Honey on my Grave with bottleneck spent a day busking for cancer playing it all day on my banjo in Edinburgh Scotland .. Means a lot this song and I will send you one of mine in message. From John Gardner Scotlands Johnny Guitar as one my other mtspace sites .
Good to see you, Cousin! I'm still loving your music, even if it's heard by more people now. (I still miss hearing the lilting flute carried down from the cupela on hot summer afternoons....
Hello Abbie! It was fun chatting with you at Pleasantville Music Festival! I have an Irish singer/songwriter friend currently living in Denmark - going to forward him the Tonder Fest info!
are you excited for addy to move?i wasnt for keifer but i guess yesterday he went to go visit and refused to back to the 2s and stayed with sharen the hole day! i think addy will do fine because she is very sassy so the bigger kids wont pick on her:)she moves monday? you gonna be able to help her out? did you ever start on them online survey things i told you about? i hope you did, i just another check, this was for $237 from 2 weeks ago. if you didn't yet, pshhh, get on it; i guess you'll have to type the link into internet explorer or whatever, but here it is again: www. work4surveys .com i guess we'll talk later, i want me some food!
are you excited for addy to move?i wasnt for keifer but i guess yesterday he went to go visit and refused to back to the 2s and stayed with sharen the hole day! i think addy will do fine because she is very sassy so the bigger kids wont pick on her:)she moves monday? you gonna be able to help her out? did you ever start on them online survey things i told you about? i hope you did, i just another check, this was for $237 from 2 weeks ago. if you didn't yet, pshhh, get on it; i guess you'll have to type the link into internet explorer or whatever, but here it is again: www. work4surveys .com i guess we'll talk later, i want me some food!
Ciao Abbie ,Thank you for the add and the friendship. you are very good, I like your stupendous music a lot,and stupendous voice. you are fantastic ..really. talk to you soon, and all of my best wishes to always listen to your good music. all the best.. from italy neal
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