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NEW MUSIC

Surprise, right!? Well, to those who are in the Pnut Gallery on Patreon, they have been following the process and hearing the demos over the last year.  The stars aligned and thanks to executive producer Kirk Pasich and KZZ Music (a production company spinoff from Blue Élan Records), I went into the studio last week with a dream team:  Paul Bushnell producing and playing bass (Tim McGraw/ Elton John/ Sarah McLachlan/ Sinead O’Connor/ Neil Young/ The Commitments/ Edna Swap), Zac Rae aka @grumpybeard on keyboards (Death Cab For Cutie/ Stevie Nicks/ Leonard Cohen/ Lana Del Rey/ Morrissey/ Ringo Starr), Dave Levita on guitars (Alanis Morissette/ Tim McGraw/ Dr. Dre/ Sara Bareilles/ Five for Fighting/ Sheryl Crow/ Lana Del Rey), and Thomas Lang on drums (Peter Gabriel/ Robbie Williams/ Glenn Hughes/ Falco).  Zackary Darling was behind the board engineering and is currently in custody of the tracks in order to mix! I just heard the rough board prints and they are wonderful!

I’m very excited to share these songs which run the gamut from modern singer-songwriter to indie pop punk. I’m bringing back some of the rock and quirkiness from my early days, but maintaining that sing-a-long quality and lyrics that are t-shirt worthy.  You will laugh, shake your bootie, and yes, there will a ballad to make you cry.  In a good way 😉 This group of A-listers truly elevated the songs.     (Pic below L to R- Kirk, Dave, Paul, Moi, Thomas, Zac and Zack)  Lots of behind the scenes videos on Patreon.

The “I Hope I Remember How to Do This” Tour:

In April 2021, my last CD “While the Angels Sigh” was released.  Unfortunately, all of my tour plans were canceled due to the pandemic.  So, I’m FINALLY gearing back up to lift the curtain and perform those songs as well as my new ones for a live – in person – audience!  I really hope to see you at one or more of these upcoming performances.  Singing for you keeps me sane. Sort of.

APRIL 30, HOLLYWOOD, CA  HOTEL CAFE 

MAY 13 – WASHINGTON, VA  BENSON HOUSE CONCERT 

MAY 14 – ROCKVILLE, MD  HANK DIETLE’S TAVERN

MAY 15 – MARTINSBURG, WV  ARLENE’S HOUSE CONCERT 

MAY 21 – CARMEL, CA  FOREST THEATER 

JULY 31 – CARMEL , CA   DE TIERRA WNERY TASTING ROOM

MY HAPPY PLACE

I live in my “Happy Place,” so It’s easy to NOT leave town.   My local walk “in the hood” is to places like this:

I can’t wait for you to hear my new song “House without Windows” on the new EP – I’ll be playing it live at shows before the record comes out. THIS is home – Big Sur.

If there was ever a time to come visit Big Sur/ Carmel, it’s the weekend of Saturday May 21st.  I’ll be doing a very special show at Carmel’s beautiful outdoor amphitheater – the Forest Theater.  Tickets available HERE. (Click on “Music in the Forest” through Pac Rep website)  Wine provided by Galante Vineyards- portion of the proceeds to be donated to Guitars not Guns: Monterey County Chapter.  If anyone wants to go hiking the next day, I’m happy to organize one.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Please let me know how YOU are, what music you are listening to these days and your tips for raising teenagers (click the contact page!). Jette & Perry are turning 13 in a couple of weeks – they are amazing, wonderful, brilliant and mostly functioning hot messes.   They are my teachers in this life, and I am so lucky to be their mom.  And wow does it make me miss MY mom.   My angel mama leaves me feathers and wisdom in the wind.   Chip is doing great – he has created a beautiful home studio where we can both create.  I’m hoping for a new Bella Portal CD from him in the near future.  He is also collaborating with his longtime musical partner/genius Gregory Markel in their band, All in Your Head (“AIYH”).

Thanks for reading! I have a new email platform through MailChimp, and you can subscribe HERE.  As always, if you ever want off the ride, just let me know – no harm, no foul.

For those of you who have stuck with me through the years, I am forever grateful for your support.

Sending you a big hug from Big Sur,

Cindy aka pnut

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My records are all creative births. They are the inspired and crafted musical poems and stories that encapsulate a certain period of time in my life. They are raised by a village – the band, producers, engineers and the team at the record label. And when the time is right, they are released out into the world, where they will grow, change, and form new attachments. If you happen to hold my baby, I hope you listen with your heart. She laughs, cries, and sings to you, and for you.

I hope you have had a chance to listen to While the Angels Sigh, which was released April 23rd. Autographed copies and merchandise are available from the Blue Élan store, and you can stream it on all major digital platforms. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this particular release has been my collaborations born of necessity. Since I haven’t been able to tour to promote the record, I decided to create content for the internet to support the release. I have hired wonderful dancers, actors, film makers, animators, and directors from all over the world to create video/visualizer companion pieces for each song on the record. I am truly enjoying this form of enhanced expression of the music, and I hope you do too! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and check them out!

I was FINALLY able to perform live for an audience of 1 person + 2 camera operators and a video director for my CD release live stream. And in the first time in over a year, I was joined on stage by 2 other people – my new friend, Jesse DeCarlo (who lives near my new home in Carmel Highlands), and my long time writing partner/band mate, Paul Trudeau, who traveled up from Los Angeles. Now fully vaccinated, I can’t begin to tell you how good it feels to make music with other people. I look forward to the world continuing to open up so that we can all gather again, and give each other much needed hugs!

BamBam and Pebbles

I’ve been lavishing my extra affection onto my newly adopted kittens, Pebbles & Bam Bam. My 12 year old twins are finally back in school so thankfully, I can cross home school off the task list. I just need to teach my fur twins to stop destroying my furniture!

Lately, I’ve been spending more time out doors, exploring Big Sur and Carmel. I am very inspired by my new surroundings and the shift in perspective over the last year and a half. I’ll be sharing the new songs in the Pnut Gallery on Patreon.

I hope you and yours are well. I do love hearing from you – drop me a note (cindy@cindyalexander.com) and let me know how you’ve been and what music is resonating with you lately! I’ve opened up the tour book for 2022 and welcome your ideas. House Concerts and intimate shows are my favorite – let’s make them happen! Thanks for all of your support.

Love,
Cindy

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FINALLY!

Hi and thank you for stopping by!  I hope you are well and safe during this crazy time.  At long last, I am ready to share new music with you!  The first single from my new record, While the Angels Sigh, is available now HERE.  https://cindyalexander.lnk.to/trytrytry

PREORDER:

You can preorder the new record (starting on 2/24) with some cool bundles (autographed cds – while supplies last, limited edition t-shirt, handwritten lyrics, private zoom serenade, etc.)  in the Blue Élan Records store.

ABOUT “WHILE THE ANGELS SIGH”:

Here’s an article from https://www.broadwayworld.com/ that sums up the new album perfectly: 

During the most stressful time of her adult life, Cindy Alexander wrote and recorded her tenth studio album. Through the most trying of conditions; her mother dying from dementia, navigating through the pandemic and civil protests, all while teaching her twin daughters from home during the “Safer at Home” order, Cindy’s strength and creativity came to the fore. While the Angels Sigh, set for release on April 23, 2021, is at once a musical affirmation of personal power and grace, and an acceptance of human weakness and fallibility. Cindy has written a songbook for the “sandwich generation,” with wisdom for millennials, and gratitude to the generations that came before her.

It took two years to curate the song list with executive producer and label co-founder, Kirk Pasich. “It was two years of me digging deep, during a dark time, to believe in myself and my musical mission,” Cindy explains. “I committed to sharing my truth and my passion, to work with people who could help me manifest my vision, and seized the opportunity to create without being edited, censored or silenced. I am so very blessed that Blue Élan Records gave me that opportunity.”

Cindy entered Sage & Sound Studio at the end of 2019 with a dream team of musicians, led by producer/bass player Sean Hurley (Vertical Horizon, John Mayer, Colbie Caillat) and producer/drummer Victor Indrizzo (Alanis Morissette, Chris Cornell). The first song they recorded also happens to be the first single, “Try Try Try,” a co-write with Cindy’s career-long collaborator, Grammy award-nominated producer and songwriter, David Darling. The song is about trying to connect and reignite the passion, when life gets in the way and distracts us from what really matters. While writing, a distracted Cindy had fallen and broken her elbow and wrist while running to make a meeting. It was Kirk’s idea to record a second “live” version of the song as an acoustic ballad, turning a sexy bar burner into a trippy, hypnotic siren song.

Other star players on the album include guitarist David Levita (Alanis Morissette, Lana Del Rey, Sheryl Crow) and piano from Michael Farrell (Alanis Morissette, Macy Gray). Second single,”Broken but Beloved,” a song about impermanence, was recorded with Grammy award-winning producer and engineer Ross Hogarth at Sunset Sound with Cindy’s dear friend and touring buddy, Michael Bacon (one-half of the Bacon Brothers and award-winning composer) contributing cello from his studio in New York.

The remaining songs were recorded during lockdown last year, from home studios to social distanced recording sessions, tracks were transferred back and forth throughout the year’s quarantine before finally finishing up in Cindy’s bedroom at her new home in Big Sur. Although the creative process was a challenge, the result is a triumph. While the Angels Sigh is an achingly personal album that speaks to and for all of us, and a musical tribute to a broken but beloved humanity.

OH AND THIS HAPPENED:

The photos for this record were taken by the iconic Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal.  He’s the genius behind the Crosby, Stills & Nash cover for Deja Vu and some of the most famous photos of Joni Mitchell.  Yeah, I’m pinching myself over the whole experience.

I NEED A HUG!

Hope to see you on the road when the Covid curtain lifts.  We’re long past due for a hug.
XO
pnut