DAWN XIANA MOON - Space...and Spaces Between

by Brian Kious

What happens when you combine world-wisdom with folk music, life experience and literature, dancing and science fiction? 

You meet Chicago-based, singer/songwriter/pianist/guitarist/essayist/dancer/all-around cool person, Dawn Xiana Moon. In 2012, she released her debut album, 'Spaces Between', and for some reason we're just now finding out about it! In short there is nothing to disappoint on this record. It is not a run-of-the-mill folk album because it really isn't completely folk. It's a multitude of flavors and languages that must be heard to be experienced.

The album opens with "Strong," a waltz laced with acoustic guitar and guzheng, a traditional Chinese zither. Dawn declares she "will be strong." Honestly, no matter what words she might choose to sing here, her voice is indeed strong and she does a great job of making sure the listener understands it. In fact, "strong" might be an understatement. Dawn Xiana Moon's voice is bigger and stronger than the city she currently calls home.

This album is packed with a smorgasbord of sounds from the traditional folk/pop arrangements to something a little more exotic.Dawn is ethnically Chinese and hails from Singapore, and shares that background with the listener through songs sung in Mandarin Chinese, "Three Kingdoms" and "Beautiful Flowers Under a Full Moon." Both of the Mandarin Chinese selections originate from traditional Chinese works, so the guzheng and erhu (Chinese fiddle) make for appropriate musical decoration.

As if switching between English and Mandarin weren't impressive already, Dawn could easily pass for Edith Piaf with "Apres Un Reve." The lyrics are actually a poem by Romain Bussine, and is rightfully delivered in French.

Where "Apres Un Reve" is poetry adapted to original music, there is also a nod to Biblical inspiration with "Sinking", which is credited as being inspired by Psalm 69.

The music on 'Spaces Between' was written by Dawn, and she provides the majority of the lyrical content. The lyrics prove to be literate, honest, and observant. This is most overwhelmingly highlighted in "This Is Not A Love Song." This tune not only bounces between time signatures, but the lyrics are very Dylanesque as they travel between the thoughtful, "she's perfection minus two" and the more simply put "this is not a love song because we are not in love."

Dawn is joined on the record with Cory Biggerstaff (bass) and Joe Chellman (drums), and the rhythm section proves to complete a tight ensemble. Joining them on erhu and guzheng are Chihsuan Yang and Yunqing Pan. If there is any criticism for Spaces Between it's that Dawn's voice might just be too big for this medium.

While it's easy to marvel at the bevy of multi-cultural, multi-lingual presentations on Spaces Between, it's more impressive, still, that Dawn Xiana Moon keeps busy as an essayist, discussing her adventures and experiences growing up as an Asian in the Midwest. She has also formed a dancing troupe called Raks Geek. A mostly Asian cast of dancers whose shows are inspired by and bring new life to the world of science fiction. In fact, they gained global notoriety from a YouTube video which featured a belly dancing wookiee. Yes, you just read that!

I was so excited when Dawn found some time to talk to me about her album, the racial climate in the United States, and Star Wars!

SMC: First off, let's be clear for the folks reading this, and learning about you and your work for the first time, you're a singer/songwriter, pianist, dancer, and writer. Do you favour one of these outlets of expression over the other? Or do you perhaps simply explain that you are an artist?

Dawn: If time permits, I usually explain that I'm each of these things! If I could have chosen, I would have done so long ago - but in the end, I've worked professionally in almost every area of the arts.

I've played piano since I was five and trained as a classical musician; piano was always the instrument that connected with me the most emotionally (I played flute seriously when I was younger, xylophone and various percussion in high school, and guitar in college - but the piano is still the instrument I most love). Guitar was my anarchy instrument - it was the first one I wasn't formally trained in, which ended up opening all kinds of creative doors for me. I also have years of vocal training, which combined with my piano and guitar background to result in songs that are largely a mixture of folk and pop with influences from jazz and traditional Chinese music.

And then there's dance - I've always loved dance, but I started dancing seriously relatively late in college with partnered dances. I started as a swing dancer - I used to teach lindy hop, East Coast swing, and blues - and from there transitioned into a form of bellydance that makes heavy use of group improvisation and fuses influences from hip hop, flamenco, jazz, ballet, classical Indian dance, and more.

As far as writing, I primarily concentrate on creative nonfiction and cultural criticism. I also have a degree in theatre and have done a far amount of acting and producing work.

In many ways, all of my artistic training in specific disciplines informs every other discipline I work in.

SMC: Your album, SPACES BETWEEN, is a real polyglot of a record. What drove your decision to include songs in Mandarin Chinese and French?

Dawn: I'm Chinese, but even though I was born in Asia, English is my first language. Mandarin was never a language I spoke at home - I started learning it in kindergarten while living in Singapore. When I moved to Michigan at the age of five, there weren't many Asians in my area - I took French in school (and became something of a Francophile), but didn't come back to Chinese until I was older as a way to reconnect with my roots.

But ultimately, I included both languages because I love how they sound and how they challenge me to write.

SMC: Are you fluent in both languages?

Dawn: Fluency is so subjective! That said, I used to be extremely conversational in French - in college I was taking classes in philosophy taught entirely in the language through a semi-immersion program - but these days I'm rusty. Fortunately, when I visit France my language skills come back - immersion really is key.

The open secret is that I don't really speak Chinese - I rarely have a chance to practice, so I can tell you more about the language than I can tell you in the language. But I studied it well enough to sing in it, and I think my early schooling in Chinese as a second language helped with hearing and forming the sounds. Tones were never an issue for me.

SMC: When listening to your choice of instrumentation throughout the record, there's the obvious guitar and piano. I also detect the 二胡 (erhu), and is that a 古箏 (guzheng) I hear also?

Dawn: There's guzheng and erhu, plus upright bass and drums.

SMC: I commend you on the mix. They're not overstated and give your voice room in the mix. Was the inclusion of the traditional Chinese instruments an idea that you had in mind as you were constructing the song, or was it one of those lightning bolt moments?

Dawn: Thank you! I definitely had the Chinese instruments in mind early on - in my ideal world, I'd play with at least erhu every show.

SMC: I ask this next question because I'm an album listener, and for anyone out there who still enjoys the album as a work understands the importance of song order. Was there a lot of time taken in the sequencing of the tracks?

Dawn: I definitely thought about the track order - I wanted to open upbeat but mix styles, languages, and moods throughout. There's a reason the slower piano songs are at the end.

SMC: This question springs to mind, because you open with "Strong" which is a triplet. It immediately grabbed me because I am a sucker for 3/4 and 6/8 time.

Dawn: There's a song in 7/8  and one in 5/8 as well! I love playing with time signatures.

SMC: In your original songs, it sounds like you chronicle yourself and others you know in a very observant and thoughtful way. Tell me about your writing process. What inspires you, usually? Lyrically and musically.

Dawn: I like to tell stories. Sometimes the songs aren't based on people I know personally - I'm working right now on a song cycle based on stories from some of my favorite science fiction and fantasy writers, and the characters range from cannibalistic aliens to "lady" astronauts to frightened boys. But I take them each seriously as real people, and I try to speak truth from their point of view.

I think a lot about hope and the brokenness of the world we live in. I want to be honest, even brutally so - but I don't think everything ends in despair. I believe in redemption, in caring, in fighting, in not giving up.

SMC: You have a very unique vocal delivery style. It immediately reminded me of Edith Piaf, especially on "Apres Un Reve." Was your style influenced by anyone in particular, or was it a completely organic development?

Dawn: Probably a combination of the two. I took vocal training seriously starting in high school, which continued throughout college - but I also break half the rules I was taught. But without the technique I learned, I'd never have been able to sing the way I do - I needed the technique to find the vocal flexibility I wanted. I've also been influenced by jazz singers in general and one folk singer in particular: Karin Bergquist from Over the Rhine.

SMC: In your live performances, do you typically play solo or do the musicians who accompanied you on the album also join you?

Dawn: It varies. I often play solo, but I love playing with the band. They're amazing musicians, and it's so much fun to work with them!

SMC: So, SPACES BETWEEN was released in 2012. I know you've been really busy with RAKS GEEK, but as far as your music is concerned, are there any plans to release a follow up album?

Dawn: Definitely! Honestly it's more of a money problem than anything else - I've written over 90 songs, but only 16 or so have made their way onto albums thus far. Studio time is expensive, and it's difficult to recoup costs if you want to make a polished product rather than record at home with a cheap mic - the sad state of the industry is such that people don't buy music anymore, and this has a real effect on whether artists can afford to make albums. (Support artists you like!) That said, the next album will probably include a number of songs from the science fiction cycle I'm working on.

SMC: Speaking of RAKS GEEK, tell me a little about that.

Dawn: Raks Geek is a bellydance and fire performance company I founded in 2012 - we achieved internet notoriety with a video of a Wookiee belly dancing to a Klingon band playing an original song in Shyriiwook, which earned us a spot on UK Channel 4 TV’s “50 Funniest Moments” and a proclamation from The Daily Mail that hailed us as “Sci-fi seduction.” At this point we've been featured everywhere from MSN to WGN-TV.

I was raised on a steady diet of Asimov, Star Trek, and Tolkien – so combining my love for nerd culture with my art was a way to introduce people to an amazing dance form that doesn’t get much recognition, have fun with stories I love, and bring visibility to Asian-Americans in the performing arts. (Raks Geek is majority Asian-American.) I'm a believer in artistic and technical mastery, but I'm also a believer in welcoming people to a space and just having fun.

SMC: Any plans to make it a touring show?

Dawn: We've done some touring, and I'd love to do more - individually, members of the group have performed everywhere from Germany to Costa Rica to Morocco. But to bring the entire show on tour, again it's a matter of dollars - I'm happy to go anywhere that will pay us and respect the performers!

SMC: Now.... a bellydancing Wookiee..... I can honestly say that that's probably an idea that even the creative minds of the Star Wars films never thought of. Is that something you think ought to be included in any future films? Perhaps a post-war Chewbacca film? ha ha

Dawn: What else do Wookiees do for fun? Dear Disney/Lucasfilm: If you're reading this, I'd love to introduce Chewie to a sultry bellydancing Wookiee lady onscreen! They can probably share a roast Porg for dinner after...

SMC: Ok J.J. Abrams! Give Dawn a call! Ha ha! What's your favourite Star Wars film?

Dawn: I probably still have to go with Return of the Jedi, though once it sits for a while, The Last Jedi may go down as my new favorite. THE TICO SISTERS! "That's how we're going to win. Not fighting what we hate, but saving what we love."

SMC: That is a great moment and probably something for us in the real world to think about.

    

Dawn: I also love Empire and Rogue One. (Yes, Rogue One. We needed that film when it came out - we needed a film about hope.)

SMC: Rogue One is an awesome film, so I'm not surprised! Now for the important questions on this topic....Star Trek or Star Wars?

Dawn: Both!

SMC: Han Solo in the Millennium Falcon vs. Capt. Kirk in the Enterprise. Who wins?

Dawn: They'd both try to cheat. Probably Han though - he'd fight dirtier.

SMC: Now for something a little more on the serious side.

I would like to ask you this and bring up this subject because you discuss it in your essay, A Work of Art is a Refuge and Resistance. You write of your experiences from the time you moved to the U.S. from Singapore. You voice an understandable frustration that I'm sure all immigrants feel, but perhaps may be a little more intense when your nation of origin is not European. Do you feel that this is something that drives you to delve into so many forms o expression?

Dawn: It's difficult to say why I ended up with so many art forms - I certainly wouldn't have chosen it this way (the art chose me). But it makes sense that I did. I'm a child of two cultures, and perhaps even more if you think about the ways that Chinese identity intersects with Singaporean identity (Singapore is 80% ethnically Chinese, but most of the Chinese population traces their roots back to China itself only a couple generations back - and Singapore was also a British colony until the 1960s. It has not just one, but four national languages).

What is my culture? It's not Chinese (from mainland China). It's not Singaporean. It's not American. It's some combination of all of those things, of being raised in the Midwest where the vast majority of people were white, of being rejected by Asian-Americans in college as "too white," of living in liminal spaces and never feeling entirely at home in any culture but at the same time being incredibly adaptable and constantly aware of cultural norms. My art is like my cultural background - a fusion of multiple forms and influences from different cultures.

SMC: Do you feel that, in the current climate we find in our country, another child walking in your footsteps has it equally difficult or has the rhetoric and attitude made it more difficult to feel at home here?

Dawn: The current administration and its party constantly use rhetoric that normalizes racism and xenophobia in public discourse. This has real and utterly predictable results: Hate crimes have shot up. The country is physically less safe for me to be in. There are parts of the country I don't want to visit now because I don't want to worry about harassment or assault.

How can I or any children feel safe when not long ago the LA Times ran a Letter to the Editor saying the Japanese-American internment camps were a great idea? How can I or any children feel safe when official, presidential representatives say the same thing on TV? How can I or any children feel safe when ICE is breaking up families and (mistakenly) deporting US citizens (who aren't white)?

SMC: On this same topic, I'd like to get your perspective as your background has helped mold your music. In a 1993 interview with Living Colour's Vernon Reid, he is noted saying that "rock 'n' roll increasingly fell into the hands of the white liberal academics."(Reid) Do you feel the same can be said of the singer/songwriter world as well?

Dawn: The singer-songwriter world is dominated by white people. There are POC singer-songwriters, but for whatever reason we're less well-known, and the lack of diversity can lead to some awkward situations:

I remember once being the only non-white person at a concert and listening to a songwriter duo introduce a song - they gave the context that it was an old minstrel song (great! We like context) but then the woman of the duo looked at her partner and said, "You can sing it because it's like you've lived it." The entire song was about racism - about having curly hair and being black. No, you don't get to own that song if you're not black. It's great to still sing the song and sing the song as storytelling, as someone else's lived experience, but it's not OK to pretend that their experience of racism is your own.

SMC: Vernon Reid was speaking of the neglect of the African American contributions to rock 'n' roll music, and the music industry's enabling of that fact, even at the time his band was gaining notoriety. It almost seems like, with certain genre, there is a narrative that is followed, depending on an artist's ethnic background. Do you feel that Asian-American artists have that same battle to fight when it comes to breaking into professional music?

Dawn: I think Asian-Americans are so invisible in folk music as a whole that we don't have an artistic narrative - we just functionally don't exist. There's a narrative for Asian-Americans in general, especially surrounding the kinds of stories we should tell (audiences and gatekeepers alike expect "Asian" stories about immigrants and culture clash and American Dreams and perseverance - nevermind that many Asian-Americans aren't immigrants, we should be allowed to fail, and some of us want to write about other topics), but there are so few of us outside of classical music that I don't think there's a singer-songwriter-specific narrative.

SMC: Well Dawn, it has been great talking with you and I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions. My last question brings us back to something a little less heavy. Is there anything you'd like our readers to know as far as upcoming performances? Social media events? YOUR favorite song that you have available out there that you feel would be a great introduction for future listeners?

Dawn: For those in the Chicago area, Raks Inferno, my full theatrical show of bellydance and firespinning will be happening Thursdays, May 3 and June 7at Uptown Underground (details: http://raksgeek.com) Also, the premier of my lastest music video, an original arrangement of a traditional Chinese folk song.

For music, I'd suggest listening to "Strong" and "Beautiful Flowers Under a Full Moon" for a study in contrasts - one is heavily influenced by Americana and tells the story of three people growing up in the Midwest, and one is heavily influenced by minimalism (i.e. Philip Glass) and is a reworking of a traditional Chinese folk song. You can find the music on DawnXianaMoon.com, iTunes, Spotify, or wherever music is sold.

Thanks so much for having me!

_________________

Socials: Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, Amazon

Source:

Reid, Graham. Living Colour: Vernon Reid. Black, White and Everything in Between. Online (here)

Luke Jansen 'A Christmas Gift' Letter from our Editor Candice Anne Marshall to the Music Community

Dear Music Family:

When I was young, the best part about Christmas for my siblings and I wasn’t really the gifts under the tree that made it 'special'. It also wasn’t necessarily the food we ate, or the travelling to our grandparent’s homes to celebrate with our extended family either, (although, those things were all amazing!). It was the very MAGIC of it. Knowing that there was someone out there (the jolly old elf himself) who was thinking of us on that one special day. It’s the thought that this one person was seeing us go about our days all throughout the year and our very merit for receiving a ‘gift’ on Christmas day was a direct result of giving compassion, love, and generosity to others.

How funny life and experiences change us as we become adults. I mean, many of the same children that believed in Santa don’t always realize that everything we do doesn’t have to come with a reward. There are many who still expect something from doing a kind deed, and it’s those people who are missing the point: the very gesture of doing something kind for someone else IS the reward. You have no idea what it’s like to be the recipient of a kind gesture and wish you could give something back but simply lack either the resources, funds, or even the ability. I have been on both sides of this. I have had tough times and I have seen others have tough times too. And, I have seen this at the most inopportune times too, like Christmas. For some of us, the deep-rooted experiences of hardships, losses, and challenges have built and shaped us, but it always has a starting point and it is at these times that our compassion for humanity is most critical. Especially after a loss of a beloved family member, there are the ‘year of firsts’ as I refer to them and it’s that first Christmas, birthday, or any family celebration that is the hardest to endure. 

About six weeks ago, after we were wrapping up our massive Halloween campaign with Starlight Music Chronicles (SMC) and Limehead Radio, I was beginning to think of what would be THE best Christmas story that I could run with this year. As always when I am perplexed, I ask my mom (angel) to bring me a sign for what I need to do. I waited patiently, thinking that it would come in the form of some massive project or event that was happening that we could lend our support on via SMC and Limehead. ‘Or maybe it will be something thematic’, I thought to myself remembering the massive success of the Dacre Stoker interview for Halloween. It was only days later when I received a message in my inbox from a dear friend, that I realized just what would be our Christmas Story.  

I always believe that we don’t meet people by a stroke of luck. I believe that we meet the people we are meant to and in the time that we are supposed to. Krista and I had met, of all places, at a Palaye Royale show here in Edmonton at TheStarlite Room in February. I should have known something magical would come of this - it is how I came up with the name for Starlight Music Chronicles after seeing a magnificent performance by Johnny Marr. It also seemed fitting that we met at a live music performance: music has always brought me closer to my community and the amazing people I have come to know in the music industry in Edmonton. We struck up a friendship immediately and after following a lot of the things I support like Morgan’s Mission Memorial and RichardsLegacy Foundation (to name a few), she felt comfortable in bringing me the ‘Luke Jansen’ story.

Luke Murray Jansen was a young Musician who, at only 22 (and a half) died suddenly in a tragic accident on the morning of October 6^th, 2017. His passing is very recent, and his absence has been felt very acutely in the lives of his roommates, bandmates, friends, and most of all, his family. It has impacted the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada music community greatly, for Luke was not only a very talented Musician and friend, he was also very supportive with mentorship programs as he himself had been the recipient of kindness from others through these same forms of mentorship in his music as well as education.

The following is an excerpt written by his family as per the website, www.LukeJansen.ca:

     “Luke Jansen’s Legacy: Mentoring and Music MakingOur son Luke Murray Jansen had many mentoring opportunities in his life, and they helped him thrive and become the beautiful person we love! Unique, creative, questioning, open to others, willing to risk making the world a better place, and yet being human with strengths and weaknesses like each of us.Luke’s mentoring opportunities started early. In junior high, he had basketball officiating mentors, and this continued through every level of his officiating. These older youth, young and older adults modelled various ways of communicating, handling conflict, engaging people you’ve never met before, and of course specific about the game of basketball.In high school, he had adult mentors in Model United Nations, Facey Leadership Initiative and Creative Music. Here he was given opportunities to create new ideas, projects and music from scratch with mentors who brought out the best in him, encouraged healthy risk and were flexible in ways that encouraged real creativity, real opportunities to flourish.Strathcona County, the community he grew up in, also added to the opportunities. There was the young performers section of Festival Place’s Patio Series, and the career mentoring through the municipality where he mentored an Edmonton lawyer for one day who had an impactful discussion with him on balancing career and family life.Luke grew as a musician. Luke and his North of Here bandmates Ian, Will and Caleb had more gifts of mentorship through musicians, producers and public radio in the Alberta arts community. Alberta Music and School of Song at the Canmore and Edmonton Folk Music Festivals to name a couple provided Luke with so much joy and growth in his music career.Luke grew as a community leader.   His University of Alberta political science degree included many opportunities to talk with and interview other people who cared about community and cared about music. David Shepherd and Myrhe’s Music owners Alfie and Byron all took time with Luke to let him interview them and understand their community leadership and music journeys so he could chart his own path.Any of Luke’s successes were truly many people’s successes.
On October 6, 2017, Luke could describe himself as: 

      ·  a new graduate of the University of Alberta,
·  a new neighbor with three roommates in the Parkallen neighborhood in Edmonton,
·  an Election Assistant training election workers for the October municipal election in Strathcona County,
·  a potential hire within the Alberta legislative system in November when his election contract ended,
·  a member of the band North of Here with a busy practice and recording schedule and two grant applications in for their new album,
·  and a happy and well-loved son and brother looking forward to two Thanksgiving dinners with his family on the upcoming weekend. 

     The results of all these amazing mentorship opportunities, both formal and informal, were beginning to flourish in the person Luke had become.Sadly though, all Luke’s creativity, beautiful voice and dynamic personality were silenced in an instant when Luke died at the end of a morning run before work in a tragic accident. Luke died at 22 ½ years old on Friday October 6, 2017 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
We hope Luke's life will continue to bring meaning and purpose to others.Luke’s love of music and community can shine through in thisMentoring and Music Making Memorial.” 

      Brad & Z’Anne Harvey-Jansen"

I recall the classic ‘Grinch Who Stole Christmas’ story and why I loved it so much as a child and even more so today as I sit writing this excerpt. ‘Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps…means a little bit more!’ is what the Grinch surmised. With that, I envision his heart expanding, followed by the epic return to ‘Whoville’ with all the 'Who Villagers' presents and trimmings overflowing from his abundant sleigh. He realized that Christmas, for the Who’s would still come despite what they were missing, simply because they were together at Christmas.

And that’s really just my point: One family in my beloved music community isn’t all going to be together at Christmas, but I do know that the presence of love among them and the legacy their son left behind IS the gift. Despite the sorrow and the pain of this immense loss, this family chooses to rise above and make this first Christmas without their son and brother one to remember by ‘paying it forward’ so to speak.

Here's where all of us come in:

A beautiful website has been created for and by the Harvey-Jansen family in memory of Luke. There are beautiful tributes through written words and photos shared on the site. In addition, the family has begun a memorial fund which is in the form of a GoFundMe campaign they have titled and officially hashtagged: #LukeJansenAChristmasGift. Money raised from this campaign will go right back into the Edmonton community for music-mentorship programs which Luke was grateful to have been a part of. Although the memorial fund is in its’ early stages, the GoFundMe campaign has been up for 2 weeks now and I invite everyone in my music community and beyond to contribute to this fund and help make this a Christmas the Harvey-Jansen family will never forget. Even if you can't afford it, simply spreading awareness of this campaign is spreading the love with knowledge that this program for mentorship can only exist with our help. That’s just what Luke would have wanted.

"Maybe, just maybe, Christmas means something more.

With love, adoration, and respect to my Music Family,

let’s make this happen!

Candice Anne Marshall

Editor | Starlight Music Chronicles

*Please be advised that the GoFundMe Memorial campaign will run up until December 31st, 2017 on the SMC and Limehead Radio platforms. However, this does not mean that the Harvey-Jansen Family will shut the campaign down as this memorial fund will be ongoing into 2018. SMC will continue to support. 

_________________

To hear my exclusive interview with the Harvey-Jansen family on Limehead Radio which aired December 7^th, 2017, (click here)

To donate to the GoFundMe campaign for music mentorship in Luke Jansen’s’ memory (click Here) or simply click on the 'Donate' button below. 

ATLANTIC RECORDS LIFTS CURTAIN ON “THE GREATEST SHOWMAN – ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK”

Hugh Jackman is P.T. Barnum in The#GreatestShowman🎩, in theaters this Christmas.

FEATURES ORIGINAL SONGS PERFORMED BY HUGH JACKMAN, ZAC EFRON AND ZENDAYA AMONGST OTHERS

SONGS WRITTEN BY ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING AND GRAMMY® NOMINATED TEAM OF BENJ PASEK AND JUSTIN PAUL (LA LA LAND, DEAR EVAN HANSEN)

“THE GREATEST SHOWMAN – ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK”

AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE NOW

20TH CENTURY FOX’S THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

OPENS IN THEATRES ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20th 

Warner Music Canada Press Release

Atlantic Records has announced today’s release of “THEGREATEST SHOWMAN – ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK” the official companion to 20th Century Fox’s hugely anticipated new musical film. The album is available now at all music retailers and streaming services; THE GREATESTSHOWMAN opens in theatres on Wednesday, December 20th.

“THE GREATEST SHOWMAN – ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK” features original songs by Oscar and Tony® Award winning and GRAMMY®-nominated duo Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (LA LA LAND, DEAR EVAN HANSEN), including “This Is Me” (performed by Keala Settle; (Listen Here), “The Greatest Show” (performed by Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zendaya, Zac Efron, and ensemble; (listen here on major platforms), and “Rewrite The Stars” (performed by Zac Efron and Zendaya; (Listen Here). The collection was recently named to Oprah’s Favorite Things List 2017, which declared the soundtrack to be “a celebration of imagination,” noting “’This Is Me’ should be everyone’s theme song.”

Tomorrow night, Saturday, December 9th, will see the film honored in New York City with a very special Empire State Building Tower Lighting, the ceremony to be highlighted by a live performance of “This Is Me” from THE GREATEST SHOWMAN co-star Keala Settle.

“THE GREATEST SHOWMAN – ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK” has been overseen at Atlantic Records by GRAMMY® Award winner (five time nominee) and recently appointed Atlantic Records West Coast President Kevin Weaver (FURIOUS 7, SUICIDE SQUAD, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS) and Atlantic Records President, A&R Pete Ganbarg (HAMILTON ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING, DEAR EVAN HANSEN ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING, TWENTY ONE PILOTS).

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is directed by exciting new filmmaker Michael Gracey, with songs by Academy Award winners Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (LA LA LAND) and starring Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman. Jackman is joined by Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, Zendaya, Zac Efron, and Rebecca Ferguson.

______________________________________

For more information, please visit www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-greatest-showman

Olivia Penalva | 'Dream You Home' Single Review by Randy Wayne Belt

by Randy Wayne Belt

I'll admit I love the Hallmark Christmas movies.  There's something about that time of year that makes even the mediocre movies seem good or magical.  But the best ones always have great music behind them. Olivia Penalva's new Christmas song 'Dream You Home' would fit well as a background track for one of the well produced Hallmark Christmas movies, or any other, for that matter. This song is far beyond mediocrity.

Olivia, who hails from Vernon, BC in Canada, has put together quite a gem with this new song.  It has that magical sparkle to it in the underlying arrangements.  It is not as much an in-your-face Christmas song as it is capturing the spirit behind the season, making it perfect for placement in any Christmas or Holiday movie.  The chorus of the song is very memorable and powerful and even having this as a background track would make any movie even better. (Great tracks can MAKE a great movie)

Not only does the song have a great mix of sounds based around a sort of shuffle march type drum beat on the verses but the lyrics are well written and paint a perfect picture of what she is trying to convey.

My favorite lyric in 'Dream You Home' is 'The light in your soul shines brighter than gold in my heart – that’s where you are.'

The images invoked by the song could be any number of situations. It could be a lost loved one or a significant other who is separated by distance or time, or even a soldier gone in a far away land during the Christmas Season and the song is almost like the soldiers’ spouse singing to bring him home even if it's only at home in the heart.

The song does indeed grab your heart and imagination, which is, to me, the ultimate goal of a song - to speak to anyone or everyone in any situation. This is one more thing that makes it an easy shoo in for anyone considering it for a spot in a Christmas movie.

Often, it is this time of year when many find themselves missing a loved one in some capacity, and it isn't always the best time for many, but even still and even if you are not into Christmas or the spirit of it, and even if you are the Grinch himself, this song still weighs in on its own merit as a song with a powerful chorus that demands attention and speaks to the soul.

This isn't Olivia's first Christmas song. I reviewed 'Christmas For Two' which was published in Starlight Music Chronicles' December issue back in 2015 which can be found (here) as well as on my own blog (here). (see video below)

Since that time Olivia has progressed even further as an Artist and has honed even further her vocal and songwriting skills. Recently reaching a million plays on Spotify, her newer music bears out how far she’s grown since then. 

Her voice still has that same special warmth to it but with a sultry yet still innocent sound that will capture your ears, heart, and will leave a memorable impression when you hear it.  I compared her voice before, in a sense to that of Nora Jones, or Colbie Caillat.  In fact, since the last review, Olivia was able to be mentored by Colbie Caillat after winning teen artist of the year in the Starlight Music Chronicles "Artist of the Year Contest" in 2016.

 As a winner, Olivia got to attend ArtistMax an Artist Development program in L.A. in March 2017. Artist Max was dreamed up by legendary Producer and Engineer Ken Caillat (Fleetwood Mac Rumours) and was mentored there by Ken and Colbie Caillat, and David Foster in L.A.

___________________

Olivia Penalva Social Media Links (click to view)

Website
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

ArtistMax Website

Dream You Home on Spotify
Olivia Penalva SMC 2016 TEEN Artist of the Year

Warner Music Canada PRESS RELEASE | Meghan Patrick's 'COUNTRY MUSIC MADE ME DO IT' to RELEASE Jan 12, 2018

OFFICIAL WARNER MUSIC CANADA PRESS RELEASE

“There’s always a high and lonesome song that keeps on pushing me along.” This line from the title track and lead single of Meghan Patrick’s latest album Country Made Me Do It is classic country and serves notice that she is determined to revive and carry the traditional torch.  Meghan lives hard and loves hard, and her songs reflect this passion. She loves trucks, fishing and hunting, riding horses and a good stiff glass of whiskey, and all of these elements fuel her countrified lyrics.  Think the free spirit of Emmylou Harris from those magical days when she performed with Gram Parsons, combined with the spark and sensuality of Tanya Tucker, the only female to crack the Outlaw genre, and you begin to have some idea of what Megan Patrick is all about.

It’s been a banner year-and-a-half for the Bowmanville native in terms of radio play, live shows and awards ceremonies.  Her debut album Grace and Grit, sprouted four Top 20 singles including her stirring duet with Joe Nichols on the Top 10 hit Still Loving You.  In concert, she’s performed with superstars like Lady Antebellum, Dwight Yoakam, Kip Moore and Martina McBride, peaking with a show-stopping duet with Keith Urban at the Timmins Stars & Thunder Festival.  She topped things off by winning Female Artist of the Year and Sirius XM Rising Star awards at the 2017 Canadian Country Music Awards.

“I did not expect those awards and I was certainly overwhelmed at the time. Now I just feel really appreciative and grateful that my fans and peers felt that I deserved those honours.  In one sense you can say that my career has been kind of short in terms of being in the mainstream and having a record deal, but within the last year the trajectory has been huge.”

Country Music Made Me Do It was produced by veteran Nashville song writer and producer Jeremy Stover, and mixed by studio heavyweight Chris Lord-Alge who has won Record of the Year Grammys for his work with everyone from Alison Kraus to U2. Meghan’s debut record had a potpourri of producers including Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger and Vince Gill but this time out she was looking for a more homogenous sound and she feels that she struck gold with Stover.

“When we started the project we wrote together, coming up with several songs for the album. Jeremy and I really clicked well and we had great chemistry in terms of writing. We eventually got a large chunk of the songs together through him and some of the other writers in his publishing company. When he said he’d love to produce the album I said, ‘Well yeah, I thought you’d never ask’.”

Meghan, who now lives in Nashville, co-wrote all but one of the 12 tracks on the album. Some of her other co-writers include Kelly Archer (Brett Young, Dustin Moore) and Justin Weaver (Kip Moore, Jason Aldean), who helped pen Walls Come Down, an ominous number about family strife.  Case Of Beer And A Bed, written with Derick Ruttan and J.T. Harding (Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney), is a sentimental song about going back to the basics.  Meghan co-wrote the title track with Stover and roots singer/songwriter Dan Isbell. The singer has recently experienced a lot of highs with the CCMA Awards and chart successes that she has earned, but there have also been a few lows such as the end of a long term relationship.  Country Music Made Me Do It captures some of the peaks and valleys with heartfelt emotion in a traditional country setting.    

“It’s just kind of a thing where music in general has been the driving force behind almost every decision I’ve made in my life. To facilitate my career it’s always been my priority and my number one objective, so you could say that country music made me do a lot of things. I love traditional country music. It’s my passion and my goal has been to bring a little more of that traditional sound into the mainstream country market. A lot of what’s out there right now is more on the pop side of country and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s just not what I want to do.” 

You can read our last SMC Spotlight Interview with Meghan (here) 

___________________________

Meghan Patrick Biography                                                                                          

by Roman Mitz

“There’s always a high and lonesome song that keeps on pushing me along.” This line from the title track and lead single of Meghan Patrick’s latest album Country Made Me Do It is classic country and serves notice that she is determined to revive and carry the traditional torch.  Meghan lives hard and loves hard, and her songs reflect this passion. She loves trucks, fishing and hunting, riding horses and a good stiff glass of whiskey, and all of these elements fuel her countrified lyrics.  Think the free spirit of Emmylou Harris from those magical days when she performed with Gram Parsons, combined with the spark and sensuality of Tanya Tucker, the only female to crack the Outlaw genre, and you begin to have some idea of what Megan Patrick is all about.   

It’s been a banner year-and-a-half for the Bowmanville native in terms of radio play, live shows and awards ceremonies.  Her debut album Grace and Grit, sprouted four Top 20 singles including her stirring duet with Joe Nichols on the Top 10 hit Still Loving You.  In concert, she’s performed with superstars like Lady Antebellum, Dwight Yoakam, Kip Moore and Martina McBride, peaking with a show-stopping duet with Keith Urban at the Timmins Stars & Thunder Festival.  She topped things off by winning Female Artist of the Year and Sirius XM Rising Star awards at the 2017 Canadian Country Music Awards.

“I did not expect those awards and I was certainly overwhelmed at the time. Now I just feel really appreciative and grateful that my fans and peers felt that I deserved those honors.  In one sense you can say that my career has been kind of short in terms of being in the mainstream and having a record deal, but within the last year the trajectory has been huge.”

Country Music Made Me Do It was produced by veteran Nashville song writer and producer Jeremy Stover, and mixed by studio heavyweight Chris Lord-Alge who has won Record of the Year Grammys for his work with everyone from Alison Kraus to U2. Meghan’s debut record had a potpourri of producers including Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger and Vince Gill but this time out she was looking for a more homogenous sound and she feels that she struck gold with Stover.

“When we started the project we wrote together, coming up with several songs for the album. Jeremy and I really clicked well and we had great chemistry in terms of writing. We eventually got a large chunk of the songs together through him and some of the other writers in his publishing company. When he said he’d love to produce the album I said, ‘Well yeah, I thought you’d never ask’.”

Meghan, who now lives in Nashville, co-wrote all but one of the 12 tracks on the album. Some of her other co-writers include Kelly Archer (Brett Young, Dustin Moore) and Justin Weaver (Kip Moore, Jason Aldean), who helped pen Walls Come Down, an ominous number about family strife.  Case Of Beer And A Bed, written with Derick Ruttan and J.T. Harding (Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney), is a sentimental song about going back to the basics.  Meghan co-wrote the title track with Stover and roots singer/songwriter Dan Isbell. The singer has recently experienced a lot of highs with the CCMA Awards and chart successes that she has earned, but there have also been a few lows such as the end of a long term relationship.  Country Music Made Me Do It captures some of the peaks and valleys with heartfelt emotion in a traditional country setting.     

“It’s just kind of a thing where music in general has been the driving force behind almost every decision I’ve made in my life. To facilitate my career it’s always been my priority and my number one objective, so you could say that country music made me do a lot of things. I love traditional country music. It’s my passion and my goal has been to bring a little more of that traditional sound into the mainstream country market. A lot of what’s out there right now is more on the pop side of country and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s just not what I want to do.”