Hey there !

BIG NEWS - I was chosen as an emerging songwriter of the year by the Levitate Foundation and get to play at the Levitate Music Festival in Marshfield MA on July 19. They are also awarding me a $5,000 grant that will go towards my debut album.

I'm still crying and can't believe that I get to perform my songs in front of hundreds of people. I'll let you in on the setlist at the bottom of this email:)

It's the dog days. I’ve been chasing sleep after midnight. music is a night owl occupation. It seems like the days of waking at 5am to check on the goats and walk Sam, a beautiful sweet Great Pyrenees lady, are far behind. Shane has to shake me awake if it’s before 7am.

Chasing sleep, chasing music, chasing a routine. I’m fascinated by what people do first thing in the morning. That first minute has a spiritual kind of importance - one brief moment that leads you through the next 12-24 hours. My moment is all hydration. I drink a liter of water with lemon and electrolytes. Then coffee. Usually a cap. Sometimes it's straight to the computer to start work while the espresso is going. Angela, my drums, percussion, (drum-ist) the force that keeps us right on going, has a consistent early morning routine. She wakes at 5am with the birds, chills with a cup of slow pour over coffee, and walks her pup, Milo. I’ve been wanting a small dog lately. Maybe the answer to my routine chase is a dog. What do you think?

Chicago was hot, bright, stormy, and wonderful. It was over in a blink. My sister and I watched the US mens team win at a roof top bar. I hugged girlfriends that I shared so many childhood memories with and who now have children of their own. I shared a set with Pat McKillen, a local chicago based musician from Tower Lakes. We sang pink pony club:)

When I got back, I played a show with the DNA (Dave and Angela) at the Golden Owl (hoot hoot) in New London. Me and a couple girlfriends went to the Dutch for beers afterwards.

The next morning I drove with my friend Issa to check out a studio near Old Saybrook for recording the first Casey Rivers album. It’s located on an old dairy farm! I can’t wait to share more of this journey with you all.

If you’d like to be an early supporter of my first album and follow along with the recording process, use this link: