happy birthday to the gardener ep (and me!)
september greetings sprouts and seedlings,
I had a really lovely show at pinkFROG last month - thank you to everyone who came !!
Happy Birthday The Gardener EP!
Today marks 4 (?!!) years since I put out "The Gardener EP". It was my first real body of work that I went into the studio with a clear vision for, visually and instrumentally (no offense to my 2015 EP "Small Town").
The songs weren't interlinked at the beginning of the process, just 5 songs I had written and was most excited about, but by the time it was ready for release I had spent enough time with the songs that I could see the pulse points connecting them all, could not escape the mirror that my work was reflecting back at me. The themes of hope and protectiveness all colored with a pervasive desperation and anxiety; the desire to capture a moment and make it forever, make it perfect, fix all that's wrong, save the day. Tend to the garden, obsess over the garden a bit, worry about what the status of the garden says about me as a person, be neurotic about the garden, love the garden, praise the enduring beauty of the garden, learn to breathe in the garden.
Of course a garden can't grow on it's own, and I loved the collaborative elements of the process as well- Sebastian Coloma producing and mixing, Declan Zhang on drums, five of my friends coming in to do bgvs, and Marilyn Lamanna with the dreamy NYBG photoshoot! I'm so grateful to all of them for helping bring the project to life, and that so many of these songs have lives of their own now and have reached more people than I ever could've imagined.
Go give it a stream for it's birthday here on Spotify or wherever else you listen to music <3
Happy Birthday Me!
I turn 27 this Sunday!!! I treat my birthday like a mini new years complete with reflections and resolutions. Taking stock of the year in the life. Dreaming big for the next one.
I used to have this notion in my head that I had until I was 28 to pursue my dreams as a musician, and after that I would just have to put it away and move on to other things. But nowadays that all seems quite silly- after all I am still very fresh to the world. I am young and I am learning how to live! I have so much time ahead of me for things beyond my dreaming!
For my 26th birthday I ate the most delicious meal topped off by a strawberry chiffon pie, and this year for my 27th I have a strawberry milkshake cake from a bakery waiting for me in Cleveland where my friends and I are all meeting up to play a 48 hour ttrpg together. I am very excited!
Anyway, here are a few things on my birthday wish list from you:
Send me a few dollars for my music fund directly through my Venmo @Emily-McNally-5
Purchase a song or two from my Bandcamp
Let your friends/family know about my music and that I take commissions for custom songs on Fiverr
Share my music on social media
Tell a friend to subscribe to this newsletter!
Little Joys
Recently binged both seasons of "Good Omens" and have spiraled fully into my good old fandom days of yore. Fanfiction (reading and writing), fan edits, reactivating my tumblr, consuming every interview and other piece of media the lead actors have been in - oh we're so back. It's good to be back.
"Everyday" by Buddy Holly, especially the bell solo on the bridge. Also "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" by Queen, especially the counter melody in the last chorus. (Yes, both of these songs are featured in Good Omens.)
My friend had a birthday picnic a few weeks ago and someone brought string to make friendship bracelets! I was totally entranced with the rhythm of it, stomach full of ham and brie baguette sandwiches, sun warm on my back, chatter and laughter as a soundtrack, fingers soon to be sticky with yuzu pie. A very very lovely day.
Thanks for reading. I'm glad you're here.
Your favorite Virgo,
Em