
Ella Fitzgerald said, ”The only thing better than singing is more singing!” Use song to find wellness in ourselves, each other, and our world. In each episode, Patricia introduces a song that she trusts to help her navigate life. These songs provide a great soundtrack to your day — whether it’s comfort, presence, delight, grief-tending, or simply easing the way. Periodic interviews with song creators add color and understanding. Songs have helped Patricia heal, adapt, and grow, and she hopes these selections will become companions for you as well. Visit the website, abreathofsong.com, to learn more and suggest a song!
Episodes

Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
70. As I Relax with guest Lyndsey Scott
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Notes: I've shared this song with my pocket song singers online group, meaning I was live-looping it... and the layers are intricate! The different lines interweave closely, creating a dense, beautiful texture. Lyndsey and I enjoy our conversation -- hear her talk about dropping root to choose what to do in the morning and set an intention, about how grief can be a healer, and wealth of teachers and mentors she draws on. Learn which voices still niggle at her, even with all the wisdom she has steeped herself in, and how she includes and cares for those parts, too. When we recorded this, I was in a particularly fragile place, feeling a little unmoored -- I felt better after this time spent talking and singing... more connected, more hopeful. As usual, I left with more questions than I started with... but it feels like a big door has opened and is welcoming me through. Following the links will keep me busy for a good long time!
Songwriter Info: Lyndsey Scott is an artist-goofball-yintennae devoted to priestesSing the Heartland, (literal and figurative). She weaves community singing to empower earth-based spiritual consciousness, and gathers soul circles that, through Song and sacred listening, decompose oppressive scripts that get in the way of freely living the Love we are. With jams that get you skipping easily between the sacred, sexy, and sssssilly : your inner child, exiled banshee, and wise elder are all very invited to the circle.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:06:40
Start time of reprise: 01:14:35
Links: Are you ready??? Lyndsey had so many resources to share, so this is the longest set of links yet!
Let's start with links for Lyndsey and As I Relax:
The song is free to share but Lyndsey always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
Everything Lyndsey! https://linktr.ee/lila.gaia
We Belong Community of Song: https://www.facebook.com/webelongcommunityofsong
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lyndseyscott
Lyndsey's album on Bandcamp: https://lyndseyscott.bandcamp.com/album/well-held
And now links to things that came up during the conversation -- starting with some of the quotations.
“He who sings, prays twice.” ― St. Augustine
“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” ― E. B. White
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ― Howard Thurman
Orland Bishop: Orland Bishop (presswarehouse.com)
adrienne maree brown: adrienne maree brown – 'The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.' – camus…documenting my liberation
San Francisco mural by Susan O’Malley: SusanOMalley_Mural_2009-2048x1536.jpg (2048×1536) (rootdivision.org)
Starhawk, “The Fifth Sacred Thing” The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk « Starhawk's Website
Marianne Williamson: Marianne Williamson – #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author
A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume: Foundation For Inner Peace: 8601421955508: Amazon.com: Books
Shireen Amini: Shireen Amini Music Medicine and Shireen Amini
Shelley Tochluk: Living in the Tension & Workshop Series (shellytochluk.com)
Emerald Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/jm/podcast/how-trance-states-shape-the-world/id1465445746?i=1000512752303
Chubby Cree: https://www.instagram.com/p/CbTonaZJL2d/
Laurence Cole: Can’t Do It Wrong / My Life Is So Cuckoo — Laurence Cole
Love Poems from God, translated by Daniel Ladinsky: Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West (Compass) - Stillness Speaks
Grace Lee Boggs: Grace Lee Boggs - Wikipedia
Malidoma Somé and grief ritual: Dr. Malidoma Somé, Phd. | The Legacy of Elder Malidoma Somé
Sibomfu Somé and grief ritual: http://www.sobonfu.com/ Embracing Grief | Sobonfu Somé
Enneagrams – here’s one summary set: Integrative Enneagram Solutions (integrative9.com)
Aretha movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkKOIQwTiKE
Characteristics of White Supremacy by Tema Okun: Microsoft Word - Okun - white sup culture.doc (whitesupremacyculture.info)
Francis Weller/ five gates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBfagOEkMi4 Home (francisweller.net)
Liz Rog/Center for Belonging: https://www.centerforbelonging.earth/
Earthkeeper Wisdom School: https://www.earthkeeperwisdomschool.com/
Grief to Action: https://www.holisticresistance.com/grief
Influential album: MC HAMMER - Please Hammer Don't Hurt Em - Amazon.com Music
Lynn O'Brien: https://www.lynnobrien.love/
Artist Lyndsey wishes more people listened to: Briony Greenhill. Album: https://www.brionygreenhill.com/crossing-the-ocean
Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Minor; 4 layers, one echoed/harmonized
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
69. Sing Upon Joy (Livian’s Song)
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Notes: I love this song for the both-and-ness... both joy and grief; both broken and mending; both hurt and healing, lost-found, hidden-revealed. The song appeared in an including way, too... Lyndsey was tasked with finding or creating moments of beauty and surprise at 2017 Village Fire, and as she sat at a table with the youth, creating art and words to decorate the port-a-potties, she saw what 10-year-old Livian had written -- "Sing upon joy". Lyndsey heard it as a song, and sang the first phrase... then the folk at the table created the interlocking part together. Both music and art, both words and song, both older and younger, both-and, both-and. Next week's episode is a songwriter conversation with Lyndsey -- not only does she share one of the amazing songs from her new album, but we get to talk and explore. My heart feels wider, my brain click-ier, my spirit lighter after every interaction with Lyndsey -- I hope you can join us!
Songwriter Info: Lyndsey Scott is an artist-goofball-yintennae devoted to priestesSing the Heartland, (literal and figurative). She weaves community singing to empower earth-based spiritual consciousness, and gathers soul circles that, through Song and sacred listening, decompose oppressive scripts that get in the way of freely living the Love we are. With jams that get you skipping easily between the sacred, sexy, and sssssilly : your inner child, exiled banshee, and wise elder are all very invited to the circle.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:11
Start time of reprise: 00:14:30
Links:
The song is free to share but Lyndsey always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
Everything Lyndsey! https://linktr.ee/lila.gaia
We Belong Community of Song: https://www.facebook.com/webelongcommunityofsong
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lyndseyscott
Lyndsey's album on Bandcamp: https://lyndseyscott.bandcamp.com/album/well-held
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Major, 2 harmonized layers
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
68. Share the Journey
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Notes: For most of these episodes, I pick the song many months in advance, because what with artwork & permissions, not to mention my own anxiety levels(!), it helps to have things lined up before.... which sometimes means I haven't listened to the song much until I'm ready to record. Then I wonder -- will I still love it? Will I still want to learn and spend time with it, or was it a temporary infatuation? I can tell you unequivocally, I loved coming back to this song! Katie Sontag's "Share the Journey" felt like reconnecting with a wise, deeply beloved friend who loves me back.., you know that feeling of mutual warmth and trust that you can relax into, and at the same time feel empowered and energized by? Ahhhh.
Songwriter Info: Katie Sontag writes songs that are honest and vulnerable for her own healing and transformation and seeks to inspire the same in others. Based in Eugene, OR, but working on touring the world, Katie's songs will touch your heart and leave you feeling better then when you came. Listening to her music has been described as receiving "a big hug". She is also the lead vocalist and songwriter for her band, "Katie Sontag and the Love Notes" and half of the duo, "smalltime". She is a group song leader and aspiring choral director. Her songs have been adapted for choirs in Portland, Boulder, Austin, and Big Sur.
Links:
Website: katiesontag.com
email for contact: katharine.sontag@gmail.com
Patreon: patreon.com/katiesontag
Facebook: facebook.com/katiesontagmusickatiesontag.com
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/katiesontag
Bandcamp: https://katiesontag.bandcamp.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KatieSontag
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/17B4xx4loeNl48GXD6oyBB?si=9p7YgO6FQQ6s-WjBS1VhOg&nd=1
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Major, 3-part harmony
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
67. Gandalf’s Blessing
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Notes: Ever feel stuck in a really bad place? The hobbits got stuck, and Gandalf blesses the eagles who rescue them. I chose to start this episode with a quote by Cynewulf (9?th century), one of the four Old English poets whose works survive today, because that was a time period J.R.R. Tolkien, (20th century) was deeply influenced by -- and here's Joshua Blaine setting this blessing in the 21st century. This makes for a great "setting-off" song -- and also a song of trust in that wind carrying. As I sing this, I love to feel a connection with something ancient in my own bones. I played with it as I shared it with you, making up extra parts at the end -- please, explore -- let the wind bear you! -- as you sing with me.
Songwriter Info: Joshua Blaine (he/him) is a community songleader, Jewish ritualist & storyteller, and resonant healing facilitator & coach. His work as a songleader began as an inquiry into the state of protest songs after the 2016 election, which sent him out on the road to interview dozens of musicians and song leaders for a project called “Finding Our Voice.” Since then, he’s been a humble servant of song, singing in capitol rotundas, at meetings & marches and around dinner tables across the country. Whether as a songleader, organizer, or resonant healing facilitator, he draws upon the rich tradition of both his recent and ancient Jewish ancestors of seeding resistance and resilience through song. After spending eight years in the heart of Texas, Joshua now resides in Providence on the oceanic lands of the Narragansett and Wampanoag, also known as Rhode Island.
Links: The song is free to share but Josh always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.
http://linktr.ee/joshuahblaine
Joshua's live recording with a group (and his own Gandalf voice!)
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Minor (Dorian implied), 3 layers
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
66. We’re Not Walking Alone
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Notes: This is the determined, comforting chorus of Shireen Amini's song, "We're Not Walking Alone". I love 'walking music' -- and this is one of my go-to's when I'm looking for an up-tempo walk. I'll sing the different parts consecutively, and if I can rope a co-walker into singing one of the parts, even better! Shireen says nature is the "enwrapping companion" that lets her own answers arise. The first verse of this song is, "When we stop trying to force all the answers -- 'cause they never will come from the mind -- they will come from a place that is peaceful; take a walk on the land, they will arise." I love the sense that the land itself is willing to care and tend us, and is, in the deepest sense, our home.
Songwriter Info: Shireen Amini (non-binary human using she in English / elle in Spanish) is a queer, Puerto Rican-Iranian, Earth-loving singer-songwriter, performer, percussionist and teaching artist. With a BA in Ethnomusicology from UCLA and a certificate in Sound, Voice, and Music Healing from CIIS in San Francisco, Shireen has also come to believe strongly in music as a tool for personal and collective transformation. As a songleader, Shireen loves to share medicine songs with healing and empowering messages, infectious grooves, and soulful melodies, often engaging her participants in rhythmic play and movement while singing. She also offers music classes, facilitation, and coaching for her local and virtual communities through her project Shireen Amini Music Medicine.
Links:
Listen to Shireen's recording of the whole song from her album, "Break Myself Free": https://youtu.be/UWlLZ_36iVI
Shireen's website
Shireen's community singing website
Shireen on facebook
Shireen on Instagram (@shireenaminimusic)
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, 3 layers
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
65. Loving-Kindness with guest Wendy Luella Perkins
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
Notes: Wendy Luella Perkins sings to telemarketers, tells of her brother choosing her for his show-and-tell, and why she has a tik-tok channel. She talks about auditory memory, singing as refuge, and the reclamation of her voice. She describes the transition from singer/songwriter work into the Soulful Singing in 2002, and the challenges unique to this kind of therapeutic singing which is not professional therapy. We have the awkward conversation about money -- is it possible to make a living as a songwriter without commodifying song, which is a birthright? Yet again, Patty Piotrowski has created the most appropriate beautiful art in my mind because of the generosity and openness of the bloom.
Songwriter Info: Wendy Luella Perkins has been singing and making up songs since she was a very young child. When she was three years old, her older brother, Tim, took her to school as his Show+Tell item saying, “this is my sister Wendy Lu, listen to her sing!” She's been going strong ever since. As a singer-songwriter, Unitarian Universalist community minister, and founder, in 2002 of Soulful Singing (singing meditation for all) Wendy Luella leverages the power of song to build authentic, healing and joyful communities.
A prolific writer of folk songs and meditative chants and supportive guide who helps others to create their own songs, Wendy Luella's greatest joy is to bring friends and strangers together in the transformational circle of song. Wendy Luella has produced three CDs of original music, which you can find on her website. As a response to pandemic restrictions and recognizing the need to keep on singing in community, especially in difficult times, Wendy Luella transitioned Soulful Singing to online sessions in March 2020. Soulful Singers from all over have been gathering online EVERY SINGLE DAY since then and once a week on THURSDAY evenings.
Everyone is welcome to join Soulful Singing via Zoom. Singing daily over the last 875+ days with wonderful folks from Kingston and around the world has encouraged Wendy Luella to share her original songs more broadly in what she calls her “Song Liberation Project” (The SLiP). She has written hundreds of songs and with The SLiP is sharing them one by one on TikTok. Wendy Luella grew up in rural Nova Scotia, and has lived in Kingston Ontario for over 25 years with her sweetheart and fellow musician, Charlie Walker. She loves waking early, walking daily, eating communally, crafting publicly, sharing deeply, gardening bountifully, laughing abundantly and of course, singing soulfully!
Links:
Wendy Luella's website: https://www.wendyluellaperkins.com
and tiktok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyluellaperkins
To email Wendy Luella: info@wendyluellaperkins.com
To join Soulful Singing every day from 9:00-9:45 a.m. Eastern Time, please click here for information: Wendy Luella Perkins | SoulfulSinging
(notice you'll need to email ahead of time to receive a link for joining, so don't leave it to the very last minute!)
Album that mattered: Joni Mitchell, Blue
Songwriter Wendy Lu wishes more people would listen to: Coco Love Alcorn
Nuts & Bolts:
Loving-Kindness: 3:4, major, zipper.
When All Is Swirling: 2:2, minor, zipper.
We're All Connected: 4:4, major, unison.
Trust In the Power: 4:4, major, zipper.
It's Good to Have a Song or Two: 4:4, major, unison.
To Love I Do Return: 3:4, major, zipper.
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Aug 17, 2022
64. Mourning Dove
Wednesday Aug 17, 2022
Wednesday Aug 17, 2022
Notes: This poignant song by Wendy Luella Perkins comes from early on in the pandemic -- a time of fear and grieving -- yet also, in the early mornings, the streets were so unusually quiet in the cities that birdsong was clearly audible. You'll be able to hear the echo of a dove call in the melody, which I teach with extra care so you can feel comfortable and relaxed singing it. This song helps me notice what I'm hearing around me -- and when I notice the sounds around me, I drop into the present micro-second, where all is well. In the next episode, there's a songwriter conversation with Wendy Luella, which includes not one, not two, but four songs that can be personal assistants as we heal, adapt, and grow.
Songwriter Info: Wendy Luella Perkins has been singing and making up songs since she was a very young child. When she was three years old, her older brother, Tim, took her to school as his Show+Tell item saying “this is my sister Wendy Lu, listen to her sing!” She's been going strong ever since. As a singer-songwriter, Unitarian Universalist community minister, and founder, in 2002 of Soulful Singing (singing meditation for all) Wendy Luella leverages the power of song to build authentic, healing and joyful communities.
A prolific writer of folk songs and meditative chants and supportive guide who helps others to create their own songs, Wendy Luella's greatest joy is to bring friends and strangers together in the transformational circle of song. Wendy Luella has produced three CDs of original music, which you can find on her website. As a response to pandemic restrictions, and recognizing the need to keep on singing in community, especially in difficult times, Wendy Luella transitioned Soulful Singing to online sessions in March 2020. Soulful Singers from all over have been gathering online EVERY SINGLE DAY since then and once a week on THURSDAY evenings.
Everyone is welcome to join Soulful Singing via Zoom. Singing daily over the last 875+ days with wonderful folks from Kingston and around the world has encouraged Wendy Luella to share her original songs more broadly in what she calls her “Song Liberation Project” (The SLiP). She has written hundreds of songs and with The SLiP is sharing them one by one on TikTok. Wendy Luella grew up in rural Nova Scotia, and has lived in Kingston Ontario for over 25 years with her sweetheart and fellow musician, Charlie Walker. She loves waking early, walking daily, eating communally, crafting publicly, sharing deeply, gardening bountifully, laughing abundantly and of course, singing soulfully!
Links:
Wendy Luella's website: https://www.wendyluellaperkins.com
and tiktok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@wendyluellaperkins
To email Wendy Luella: info@wendyluellaperkins.com
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4; Ionian (major), unison, harmonized
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
63. Awaken Me
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
Notes: Abigail Spinner McBride has one of those stories -- a choir director told her, "Don't sing, honey, because no one wants to hear your voice." This year she was chosen as Best Female Vocalist of the Year 2022 at the International Pagan Music Awards. I love me a story that says though we may have had voices like that in the past -- voices that shut us down either with dismissal or by sky-high expectations -- those voices have no way of knowing us or our potential. Our excitement can be to wake to our own voices, come out of a dream state and notice what is actually real, around us, right now. I love this song for its high energy of opening and possibility.
Songwriter Info: Abigail Spinner McBride has been creating pagan chants in the Earth-Spirit community since the late 1980s and is deeply involved in transformation and transmutation work through drumming, chanting, fire circles, and magic. She is a High Priestess of the Family of Fire, a musician, dancer, and massage therapist, based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:08
Start time of reprise: 00:13:45
Links:
Fire of Creation album (with Awaken Me) on Apple Music (2007)
Abigail's facebook page (you don't have to be a Facebook member to look at this)
The Vegas Vortex: a website of the transformational fire work that Abigail offers
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4; Mixolydian, 2 layer song with harmonies
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
62. Let Me Be The Love
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
Notes: Compassionate presence and meditation facilitator, John Rio Casey, said, “Doin' my best to be the love my deepest heart is dreamin of,” and Karly set this longing unforgettably. One of the ways I choose songs for these podcasts is that they let me soak in words that I want to believe, that I want to inhabit. What I love about this song is the transition from working hard to be this Love my deepest heart can dream of to understanding that I actually AM the Love already -- with every breath I take -- and all I need do is let it overflow. As it gets to the end and focusses on "Letting my cup overflow," you can either keep singing one of the earlier lines, if that resonates with you, or join me in one of my harmonies, or create your own harmony that feels yummy. I hereby give you full free permission to sing every "wrong" note possible! :) I know that it's through leaning into the notes that don't sound right at first that we get to the ones that feel best!
Songwriter Info: Karly Loveling brings songs to life, singing what she needs and loves to hear; playing with, writing, and leading songs online and in-person in what we call Eugene, OR, the ancestral land of the Kalapuya peoples. Online she enjoys the brain-bending and bridge-building of learning how to use sign language as she sings, thanks to beloved singer, Dawn Song. In-person, she enjoys being surrounded by harmonies, lively rhythms, and humans who do their best to be the Love.
Links:
Listen to and support Karly by buying her album and learning her songs at https://karlyloveling.bandcamp.com/music
Sign up for Karly's newsletter to stay up to date on news and events: https://singingheartharmonies.com
Join the Online Sing & Sign most Tuesday's from 10:30-11:45am Pacific time at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81680823837
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4; Aeolian (minor), layer song
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
61. Sanctuary with singer Joy Tru
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Notes: This is a vacation episode! I'm on vacation with my dear friend, Joy Truskowski... and what do you think we're doing together? We've been having such a good time singing, and on this episode (I think the shortest yet) you get to hear us together, singing a song I wrote just as a particularly difficult time was beginning. It helps me to not jump ahead to the future or gnash over the past -- that I can be right here, right now, and usually that's a pretty good moment. I asked the A Breath of Song listeners via the email list where they've experienced sanctuary, and they wrote the lyrics we sing... here are some of the other options that came up: in my swing, in this garden, in this choir, with this book, as I'm cooking, with this patient, with my cats, with my ponies, in my loved one's arms, in a canoe, while I'm painting, meditating.
Songwriter Info: I'm bringing you this podcast, so you've already got a sense of me! You can find more about me at the juneberrymusic website, or pertaining specifically to this podcast here at abreathofsong.com.
Links:
Find Joy at joytru.com -- all kinds of awesome things!
Juneberry Music -- everything I'm doing professionally, and some less-than-professionally
A Breath of Song -- lots of extras about this podcast, including a Year One art tile page, a tip jar, and songwriter collaboration information
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching (speaking): 00:00:59
Start time of teaching (singing): 00:03:29
Start time of reprise: 00:14:30
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4; Ionian (major), zipper song, unison
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
60. Just As You Are
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Notes: "Singing was never an option: it's like walking, breathing, eating... it's just one of the things that you do." It's a songwriter conversation with Lea Morris, who brings us not only her song, Just As You Are, but also gives us the very earliest possible sneak peek of what she might be writing for the NVN Black Lives Matter commission she has received. You can hear me stumble through learning a new-to-me song. We talk about how a song can transform a relationship or build self-forgiveness and self-acceptance. How singing with others is actually heaven. Lea shares her personal take on appropriateness versus appropriation and encourages us to follow our joy... "let yourself have that expression." This was my first in-the-same-room interview, and what a pleasure it was!
Songwriter Info: Lea describes her sound blend of gospel, jazz, country & R&B as SoulFolk. She performs solo & with her band. Lea is one of the Black composers commissioned by the Natural Voices Network for their Black Lives Matter commissioning project, and she also writes music used by Unitarian-Universalist congregations. On our songwriter conversation (episode #60), she talks about the compositional process and shares a little of what's currently in process. Check out her website under "More" for full biographical info, and don't miss Lea's own recording of Just As You Are on the Singing Mama's youtube channel!
Links:
Lea's website: www.thisislea.com
Lea on youtube: www.YouTube.com/thisislea
Good Morning Melodies by Lea Morris -- this link lets you buy either the songbook or the recordings of Lea's collection of acapella songs
Lea's recommendations:
Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder... here's a 1976 album review by Rolling Stone, which I thought was interesting to read, since it was from before everyone knew how this album would go on to become one of the definitive pieces of art from the 1970s. Title link to the Amazon listing.
Fleur de Lis by Richard Julian... and here's a youtube video of a single from the album, Die in New Orleans
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:25
Start time of reprise: 00:52:10
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4; Ionian (major), harmonized with response
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
59. Heart Wide Open
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Notes: Haven't we all been going through waves of change? Whether it looks like loss or shift or fear or opportunity -- whether intended or thrust upon us -- whether sudden or slowly gathered -- it's not always easy or clear to navigate. I believe in song as a tool, an intentional change-maker, a physic for the body and soul -- as a way of choosing the thoughts we want to carry in our brain. And sometimes for me, it's several voices in my head at once! What I love about this song is the way it has two parts of me talking to each other -- my wise mind, reminding and encouraging me to "keep your heart wide open, no matter what sweetheart, have faith, you'll be able to..." -- and my tiny gerbil self, scurrying around, singing fast & trying to be reassuring, "Okay, okay, I'm gonna keep, I'm gonna keep -- I'm gonna get this done, I can do it, I can do it!"
Songwriter Info: Lea describes her sound blend of gospel, jazz, country & R&B as SoulFolk. She performs solo & with her band. Lea is one of the Black composers commissioned by the Natural Voices Network for their Black Lives Matter commissioning project, and she also writes music used by Unitarian-Universalist congregations. On our songwriter conversation (episode #60), she talks about the compositional process and shares a little of what's currently in process. Check out her website under "More" for full biographical info, and don't miss Lea's own recording of Heart Wide Open on her youtube channel!
Links:
Lea's website: www.thisislea.com
and on youtube: www.YouTube.com/thisislea
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:01
Start time of reprise: 00:14:06
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Ionian, call and harmonized response
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
58. When We Are Gone
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
Notes: An elemental song that reminds us of how ephemeral human life is -- yet how we can rely on the solidity of the elements and return to them again and again. This is a song I need when I feel unrooted by grief and anger. I wonder how it will feel to you, what it might touch, how it might help you adapt and flex and grow? Listen for the surprise sound effect... I was recording with the windows open, and my looper caught a passing sound... I decided not to rerecord, both because I didn't really have the time, and because I thought it was actually kind of cool in the context of this song. Just a reminder that this podcast is not a polished recorded performance (as if you hadn't figured that out already! :) ) I use the looper to layer up my voice a bit, but it's how it would sound if we were sitting in the same room and you were singing with me live... two real humans doing real human-y stuff!
Songwriter Info: Starhawk is an author, activist, permaculture designer and teacher, and a prominent voice in modern earth-based spirituality and ecofeminism. Anne Hill has expertise in many areas, from dreams and spirituality to self-publishing and author platforms. She is a sought-after speaker and teacher, helping people improve their lives using both inner and outer resources. With Diane Baker, they co-created a book called Circle Round, which is a resource of nature spirituality practices. Unusually, I did not manage to get their permission to share this song, though I reached out through their websites... so if this episode disappears, you'll know why! I'm hoping that because this song is already widely shared, it might be okay. Please, if this song speaks to you, here's an extra plea to use the links and visit their websites to support their work!
Links:
Regenerative Culture, Earth-based Spirituality, and Permaculture « Starhawk's Website http://starhawk.org
About Anne | Serpentine Music & Media
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:28
Start time of reprise: 00:13:29
Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Ionian, Call & response with harmonies.
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
57. Farewell
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
Notes: What are summer songs for you? I think of summer as a time of greeting and gathering and workshops and camps and goodbyes and endings... a time of physicality, sensuality, heat, languor... I notice my body responding to light and heat. When I tune inward, I listen for what hums, what hurts, what is healing. Especially in this time, I notice what memories are loosened and how tender connections feel -- which brings me to this song, which is a farewell wish that could be sung to anyone -- family, friends, people we don't yet know. It might even be sung to an inner self that we are extra aware of, or listen to, and then ask to wait while we tend to other demands. As we leave gatherings of family or friends or memories, we can hum this song, envisioning each, wishing them well. In the last line of lyrics, I use the pronoun "her" for love -- but please, sing whichever pronoun embodies love for you -- his, her, their, our, xer, sher -- craft a version that evokes warmth in you.
Songwriter Info: That would be me, so both of the websites below have stuff...
Links:
abreathofsong.com
juneberrymusic.com
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Ionian, melody with counter-harmony
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Monday Jun 27, 2022
56. Acceptance Sing
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Notes: This is different than most episodes, in which I share a song with you that's already been captured, delineated, and made repeatable. Those songs are chosen because they help me navigate life -- heal, adapt, and grow. Today's episode is another kind of singing that helps me uncover wellness and light-heartedness... what I call for myself, "acceptance-singing" (which runs together into "acceptancing"...) It's an active practice of listening to one's own voice and finding it to be enough, right this moment, exactly as it is. Listening with curiosity for what appears. So when I created this episode, I made up something in the moment, imagining that you were joining me, and we were singing a duet -- and the purpose of that duet is to hear your voice play and explore and cavort around doing whatever feels good! If it sounds chaotic or uncertain or repetitive -- so be it -- love it wild and crazy!!! If it sounds constrained or pushed, love it all the more sweetly, all the more extravagantly. If it sounds absolutely fabulous and inventive and skillful -- love it peaceably without needing it to hold it. And when you've done it once, do it another time, with or without me -- because listening to your own voice and loving what shows up is a gift to yourself and the world.
Songwriter Info: Um... that would be you!
Links: to find more of what I'm up to...
juneberrymusic.com
Nuts & Bolts: improvisational, acceptance singing
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
55. Everything Is Changing with guest Kaitie Ty Warren
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
Notes: I keep singing this to myself... so grateful that Kaitie caught this song-morsel that provides so much release. This idea that life keeps rearranging, sometimes feeling awkward -- but that's not the end -- I get to keep moving through that... for some reason I can hear this so much more easily when it's coming in a song. Kaitie isn't done with this song -- she is still listening for the harmonies -- which means you're getting it at this sweet moment of openness and exploration -- how will you harmonize it, or will you stay with the melody, singing the reassurance into your bones? The songwriter conversation that follows ranges across the Ubuntu philosophy origin and how/why it applies to choirs, caring for a group, straight talk about singing in groups when not everyone's on pitch, what we can learn from small children, musings on flexibility versus predictability ... and more!
Songwriter Info: Kaitie Ty Warren (she) is a Bay Area-based songleader, teacher, writer, cartoonist and performer. Passionate about creating joyful experiences through music, Kaitie uses simple yet luscious harmonies to build bridges within communities and bring people together in song. In early 2020, Kaitie's Living Room Choir moved online, and that fall her first child was born. Living Room Choir continued online, and in 2021 Kaitie added Simple Harmonies: Songs for Babies & Their Grown-Ups. Nowadays, Kaitie is still leading online but also exploring pandemic-conscious opportunities to sing together in person. Her dream, pandemic-willing, is to host a vibrant, in-person, intergenerational choir for babies, children and adults of all ages to sing together.
Links:
To contact Kaitie directly: kaitietywarren@gmail.com
To learn more of Kaitie's songs: https://thelivingroomchoir.com/original-music/
To sing with Kaitie: thelivingroomchoir.com
Kaitie's cartoons: https://www.instagram.com/kaitietywarren/
For cartoons & things for sale: https://society6.com/kaitietywarren
Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morrisette MORISSETTE,ALANIS - Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - Amazon.com Music
Simon Webbe: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/simon-webbe/78729485
more about the Bird/Cat/Dog idea for community reengagement
Ubuntu and Bishop Desmond Tutu... here's an article about ubuntu by Desmond Tutu’s granddaughter
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:11
Start time of reprise: 01:00:53
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Major (Ionian), melody with optional harmonies
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
54. Surrender
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Notes: When choosing the searchable categories for this song, "Surrender," I found myself surprised by the juxtapositions -- I picked "Empower" and "Grieve", "Pain" and "Trust", "Accept" and "Flex". I realized how I find the most strength and power and freedom in myself at the moments when I surrender to how I feel, how my body is in the moment, my limitations. Don't miss the back story to this song, told in Kaitie's own words at https://thelivingroomchoir.com/surrender/. Next week, Kaitie and I dive into a songwriter conversation, and Kaitie shares a delightful new song about the awkwardness of change and growth... and we talk about finding both continuity and fluidity in music and life, the Ubuntu philosophy, and much, much more.
Songwriter Info:
Kaitie Ty Warren (she) is a Bay Area-based songleader, teacher, writer, cartoonist and performer. Passionate about creating joyful experiences through music, Kaitie uses simple yet luscious harmonies to build bridges within communities and bring people together in song. In early 2020, Kaitie's Living Room Choir moved online, and that fall her first child was born. Living Room Choir continued online, and in 2021 Kaitie added Simple Harmonies: Songs for Babies & Their Grown-Ups. Nowadays, Kaitie is still leading online but also exploring pandemic-conscious opportunities to sing together in person. Her dream, pandemic-willing, is to host a vibrant, in-person, intergenerational choir for babies, children and adults of all ages to sing together.
Links:
To contact Kaitie directly: kaitietywarren@gmail.com
To learn more of Kaitie's songs: https://thelivingroomchoir.com/original-music/
To sing with Kaitie: thelivingroomchoir.com
Kaitie's cartoons: https://www.instagram.com/kaitietywarren/
For cartoons & things for sale: https://society6.com/kaitietywarren
For more about "Surrender": https://thelivingroomchoir.com/surrender/
Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, Minor. Layer song.
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
53. Wish For We
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Notes: Judi is wishing for sunshine, then some rain; moonlight and starlight -- for herself, and for all of us... and when we get to sing this song of hers, we get to wish it for ourselves -- and each other. Every little wish for me and for we.... such a good feeling to remember our social connection, how natural it feels as humans to care for each other. I love the way each part you can sing in this song builds to a natural ending note... and those notes, stacked on each other, create a sweet, surprising chord. I also find the silence intriguing -- lots of space in these layers; chances to listen to the other voices. It's a little bit like remembering there are other people in the room with their own lives and stories and sorrows and delights, and there's space for them, too.... and maybe, combined, we're even more intriguing and colorful than alone? I particularly appreciate this song as I tentatively explore gathering more frequently with real, live people now... and I am surprised by the intensity of the experience. Disclosure: Judi has been my mentor and teacher and friend since 2015.... I asked her nicely (pleaded) to create a pocket song for the podcast. So I think this counts as a bespoke song?!
Songwriter Info: Judi (Donaghy) Vinar
“The incredible thing about Judi is that no matter what style she happens to be singing, it sounds as though she doesn’t do anything else”…Rick Carlson – Pianist
A member of the Twin Cities music scene since 1989, Judi has sung with the Wolverines, JazzMN, St. Croix Jazz Orchestra, The Girls, and numerous shows under the production of Lori Dokken. Judi tours worldwide with Vocal Master Bobby McFerrin as a member of his latest band “Gimme5”. By day Judi is a freelance Vocal instructor and Choral Director for Unity Minneapolis. She has been a faculty member of Bobby McFerrin’s “Circlesongs” workshops since 2005. Also an award winning songwriter (JAZZIZ), Judi’s songs have been recorded by Debbie Duncan, the Girls, Paula Lammers, and Three Hits & a Miss.
To find Judi’s recordings on ITunes or Youtube, search under Judi Donaghy.
To learn more about upcoming events or join her mailing list, go to www.judivinar.com.
Links:
Judi's website: www.judivinar.com
Judi singing "I Can See Clearly Now" with Bobby McFerrin (just one of my favorite videos ever)
judivinar@gmail.com
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:44
Start time of reprise: 00:13:02
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mostly minor... except for that one crucial note. Layer song.
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
52. Ocean Wide
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Notes: My interest in Eli Marienthal's song, "Ocean Wide" comes directly from how it expands my capacity to be present with deep grief and pain -- that of my own or that of others. My fear of feeling -- fear that somehow the world will crumble if I recognize how much pain I feel -- that fear is eased by the sense of having enough space inside me -- an ocean of space, in fact -- that is wide enough, deep enough, capacious enough for every drop of pain, every howl of grief. I love that this song has so much space for the singer inside it -- do you need to just sing a melody, over and over, to soothe and center yourself? Do you want to experiment, explore, let your voice speak to you? I hope I left space in this for you to fill in your own way -- and I hope you, too, find it healing to sense that oceanic space inside you.
Songwriter Info: Since 2014, Eli has co-led one of Northern California's wilderness immersion and rite of passage organization for youth. He has wide interests -- geography, comparative lit, poetry, songwriting, spoken-word performance, theater, peacemaking, nature awareness, cross cultural respect, qi gong, leadership development and more.
Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:25
Start time of reprise: 00:13:34
Links:
Eli's website: www.backtoearth.org
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Minor, unison
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Wednesday May 25, 2022
51. I Release Control
Wednesday May 25, 2022
Wednesday May 25, 2022
Notes: This song by Alexa Sunshine Rose has been a huge resource for me as I’ve gone through big transitions and grief this spring. I think that’s in part because it is so direct and short -- it settles inside me without worry or fret. And then the potential complexities of possible harmonies keep me interested, as well as the way it feels inside as I sing. You might start by humming one of the drone notes… then maybe humming with the melody. Eventually, when the words start pushing inside you, wanting to come through, let them appear in your mouth. Feel how your tongue moves against your teeth, how the air moves against the roof of your mouth, the way f and v vibrate against your lips. So my invitation to you: let singing this song be a physical experience that draws you into your body -- how does it feel?
Songwriter Info: Alexa Sunshine Rose describes herself as a singer-songwriter, mother, artist and mystic who has dedicated herself and her life's work to being a clear channel for peace on earth. Her songs are prayers, which bridge worlds; the inner and outer, the mind and heart, chaos and calm. She has been touring and teaching across the West Coast and Hawaii since 2009. I met her on Zoom through the amazing songcarrier Aimée Ringle during the pandemic, and knew immediately that more of her voice in my life would only be a good thing.
Links:
Alexa Sunshine Rose's website
One of Alexa's video recordings of I Release Control
Alexa on Bandcamp (buying her music here means more of the money actually goes to her)
Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, Harmonized over drone
Visit abreathofsong.com for lyrics, more of Patty's artwork, and a way to nominate songs or songwriters for the podcast.
Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.
Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!