Upstate wave, art and life progress and a Michael update (Patreon)

Hello Loves!

Just a quick wave from a flurry of summer, where I am covered in houseguests and family and everything is going fast, but it's beautiful.

I'm trying hard to schedule some hardcore upcoming events and tours and webcasts, and I'm working on a longer piece of writing about Visible Mending and Fixing Things. EVERYBODY, esop LOCALS in NEW YORK: please save Aug 24th, evening...I'm gonna try to do an open piano rehearsal at Graveside in Woodstock just for patrons, and I'm gonna TRY to stream it. If not, it'll just be me and fifty people, piano-gazing. Hold the phone for ticket link.

And NEW MUSIC. I just cut a vocal yesterday (that's the hedaer picture) for a Sinéad O'Connor cover...with The Righteous Babes on back-ups.

BTW - I’m singing with them TONIGHT - Aug 12 - at Colony im Woodstock - and they're about to go on tour in the midwest if you wanna catch them (link to d=]tour dates: https://www.righteousbabe.com/pages/tour-dates-2#artist-5)

Left to right: Holly Miranda, Gracie and Rachel, Jocelyn MacKenzie.

I'm working on the song RIGHT NOW and it's just stupendously fucking beautiful. Jherek Bischoff KILLED the strong arrangement, which was recorded live in Los Angeles a few days ago, and the art is in progress down in South Africa with Niki McQueen. It's a full collab, and Sinéad would, I think, be proud of it.

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Meanwhile, Ash's best friend Aya has three squids.

They hang.

Ash and Aya reading in Mama's bed...

These gorgeous photos from a dinner with the kiwis other night when Shazhad Ismaily and his daughter and his Mama stopped by....I love this world, where New Zealand meets Pakistan at my house.

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There was a POP-UP SHOP at Graveside Variety today!!

It's been heating up over there, and I'll tell you more when I do the monthly update about All Things Graveside.

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In catch-up, Michael McComiskey, my (and the Dolls') asssistant, wrote this update for the July Althing and I forgot to include it, because I'm an idiot and go to fast. So here it is...

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Hello Patrons!

How is August tomorrow?  What happened?

Oh right, just Campersand week, an anniversary weekend, a family reunion, a bout of the flu, amongst other life things. . .

I will leave you with a few lovely pictures as the inbox & life catch-up is fully occupying my bandwidth this month.

My partner, Cricket & I singing a very saucy song at Graveside Variety

(photo by Dahlia Graham)

Flowers at Amanda’s after the rain

A very protective gander who has adopted a brood of foster goslings

Me and Max.  He is my favorite pup, and that is really saying something.

As always, much love and many hugs to you all!

Michael

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And to wrap it all up, here's a picture of Michael and I hugging the SHIT out of each other this morning in my kitchen.

There really are not words for how grateful I am for this human being in my life. My entire team has been a lifesaver for the past few years, but nobody has taken care of me, and my heart, and my kid, and my friends, and my whole community like this guy.

He holds me so that I can hold myself, he holds me so that I can hold you, he holds me so that I can make art, he holds me so that I can fall apart and make art and put myself (and hopefully many others) back together again.

Can we get a standing ovation for this guy, please.

More soon....I'll see you this week with a song and much more.

I love you all.

xxx

A