raised by swans

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advance tickets for november 5th at The Tennesee in Toronto are available here.

since this night is only a small part of a festival, and i’m only a small part of the night itself, i’m afraid that i have no control over whether there will be tickets available at the door on the night of the show (dan tells me that the night may sell out, as a matter of fact). so i apologize to anyone who doesn’t have the means of buying tickets online.

i did ask dan (the main organizer/promoter) for a possible solution, and he’s been kind enough to offer other options – please get in touch with him at either dan@twowaymonologues.com or add/contact him via facebook (he goes by ‘dan monologues’) if you’d like to make alternate arrangements.

more very soon.

love,

eric.

…

sorry for the long silence. things have been difficult.

would much rather be writing and sharing music than an update. but these things are approaching, and in spite of my brain being locked in a safe on a sunken ship, i know that i should be saying something about them. especially as i’m about to disappear again for a little while.

1. Bamberg, Germany – solo show, Tuesday, November 10th. Villa Concordia. best to get in touch with Martin Beyer regarding the guest list to ensure a spot at this very special evening, which features the poetry of Icelandic poet Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir, and then some music from me. it’s free to attend, but if you’re travelling far, a spot on the list will guarantee that you get in. Martin is kind and helpful, and can even recommend accommodations if you need them. his email address is martin.beyer@bamberg-liest.de.

2. TWiMFeST, Toronto, Canada – solo show, Thursday, November 5th. i’m grateful to dan of Two Way Monologues for inviting me to perform this year at this festival, a partnership of Two Way Monologues and The Indie Machine. of the nights available, i chose the 5th, as it’s the one year anniversary of the release of Öxnadalur. this little show will also be a good-bye before i head to Europe (see above and below). it’s happening at a peculiar venue that i’m not familiar with, called ‘Tennessee’, and my set is at 10:00 pm sharp.

i could really use the support before i head off across the sea – or into the sea, depending on how things go. so i hope to see you there. please have a look at the facebook event, and if you can let dan know that you’ll be attending, i’m sure he’d appreciate it: https://www.facebook.com/events/971948309538551/.

3. Europe – solo shows, November ?-?. Liz and Rowan, the core of Midas Fall (UK) have been generous enough to invite me along for a small section of their month-long European tour in mid-November. so far it sounds like i will be opening for them in Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and Germany. please check the tour section of this website for full details over the next little while.

more when i feel a bit more like myself.

sending my love, and hoping you are safe.

yours,

eric.

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a (rare) interview is now posted at Austin, Texas-based tunebabe.com. i decided to give another a try after all this time, and thankfully, emily was a lovely and thoughtful interviewer, and made things very easy (perhaps too easy, as i ended up rambling a bit – my responses are edited as a result).

most gratifyingly, i’m very proud to be featured as her ‘artist of the month’ for July.

the link to the article is here.

the one interview answer i would like to clarify is that i do not think that streaming music is the same as stealing it – the transition i made was a bit abrupt and unintentional. i do, however, think that streaming services ultimately demean and grossly undervalue both music and its creators. not that most people are even aware of how they work, sadly.

i talked a bit about all of you, too.

love,

eric.

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a flooded forest/a Japanese Telecaster/you/Bamberg:

1. this evening i took my guitar to a wild, wooded area about an hour’s drive north from where i live. it’s a small place, surrounded by meadows and farmers’ fields, but so packed and tangled with life that you don’t even need to breathe while you’re there. the river that usually winds its way through the trees had flooded its banks due to a recent rainstorm, and the entire forest floor was awash and rippling like a magic carpet longing to take flight and carry the whole area, dripping and filled with singing birds (and one singing man), up into the sky.

i worked on a new song with my bare feet in the current, sitting on a stone. listened to the frogs drone and beep. dropped my guitar on the rocks as i hiked out, adding three or four fresh scars. at one point, a massive cloud of crows landed in the trees above me, cawing so loudly that i swore they were angry with me. or maybe they were cheering. it’s hard to tell with crows.

i’ve mentioned this before, but i’ve always had to sing very softly in my apartment, because the walls and floors are made of tissue paper that my landlords have cunningly disguised as wood. and i don’t have a rehearsal space anymore. so lately, when i have to prepare for a show, or work on vocal parts for new songs, i’ve been borrowing cars from generous friends whenever i’m able and driving to this place, where i dreamed up a lot of the final lyrics and parts for the songs of ’Öxnadalur’. i can sing there without anyone hearing me. it’s not the most convenient arrangement, and i probably lose about a pint of blood to mosquitoes every time i visit in the warmer months. but it’s terribly beautiful there. a pint of blood seems a reasonable price to pay.

2. i’ve written every one of the guitar parts for my songs over the years on the same scratched, dented, rock-scarred, taped-up Japanese Telecaster that i took with me tonight. from ‘violet light’ to ‘hail of arrows’ to ‘diving bird /portal’. and everything in between. every note and chord from all 41 songs that i’ve released so far over 10 years. i’ve only ever owned this one electric guitar, and tonight this is hitting me really hard for some reason. how much gratitude i have towards this miraculous, ruined thing. you can practically see my fingerprints embedded in the neck. or at least i can.

3. you need to know that i carry you all around with me now. you’ve shared so many brave and sad and intimate stories and messages of love and support with me, and i carefully read every one of them, sometimes multiple times, and keep them all in a special place. if you only knew how honoured i am to have been a part of your lives through my music. what it means to me. you will never know. i know i try to say this often, and maybe one day i’ll say it the way i wish i could. sometimes i can only cry when i read the things you share with me. the people you’ve lost. the people you’ve found. the memories that you wish would disappear. the memories that you try to keep alive.

i have to stop writing about this now. but we are connected, and i can feel you, all around the world. and i need you to know how much it means to me, to know you are there. as much as you say my music is a part of you, you are all in turn a part of me. and i am a better person for it. thank you.

5. i have some new details about the solo show with Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir at Villa Concordia in Bamberg, Germany, on Tuesday, November 10th.

first of all, is it possible for a venue to be more beautiful? please look at the attached picture and try not to fall in love. i can’t believe i’ve been invited to such a place.

because Sigurbjörg is a former artist in residence at Villa Concordia, the show will be free to attend. there are no advance tickets. however, to ensure that anyone travelling to see it gets in (several of you have written to ask about this), the organizer of the show has kindly offered to set up a guest list. please take advantage of this if you are planning on attending. he is also able to make hotel recommendations to anyone who will be staying in Bamberg overnight.

his name is Martin, and his email address is martin.beyer@bamberg-liest.de. you can also find his contact information on my website, under ‘tour’. he is a wonderful and helpful man.

this show is inexpressibly dear to me. there will be a new song or two. and Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir! and Villa Concordia has a piano.

love always,

eric.

…

tiny tour: over.

venues ranged from microscopic and camel’s-stomach hot to large and pleasantly muffin-scented. one room was very, very loud. the rest were very quiet.

my hands and voice didn’t always cooperate. but sometimes they did.

most importantly, whenever i opened my eyes, i saw you. thank you for being there.

and thank you to the spectacular musicians/gentlemen who backed me up – in this case, Andy Magoffin and Bryan Wright. this was our first time together as a three-piece, staying in hotels and crammed into a vehicle for hours at a time. and it was a joy. minus the hangovers, and the fact that it all had to come to a sudden end.

five of many things i learned/was reminded of:

1. even when it seems like the room is trying to shout itself into little pieces while you’re playing, someone is listening.

2. Andrew Sisk’s new album is pretty great. his backing band too.

3. walking the streets of Ottawa late at night can feel like one of the best dreams you’ve had for a long time.

4. waking up from a dream should be optional.

an update very soon about the solo show in Bamberg, Germany in November. and hopefully some other shows as well.

much love,

eric.

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a very special show tonight (Thursday, May 28th) at the House of Miracles, the magical place where i recorded ‘Öxnadalur’, and where many other wonderful albums have come to life.

address: 116 Lowther Street South, Cambridge, Ontario.

it’s a beautiful old stone carriage house with blue doors and window frames. the entrance is in the back, at the end of the driveway, past the tumbled-down wall.

doors open at 8:00 pm. cover charge is $10 or pay what you can.

street parking is available on King Street.

set times:

9:00 pm – raised by swans (three-piece)
10:00 pm – andrew sisk (full band)

if you can’t make it this evening, hope to see you in Montréal, Kingston or Ottawa this weekend (May 29th, 30th, and 31st, respectively) – see previous post for full details.

thank you for last night.

much love,

eric.

…

i’ve only just realized that despite my ‘efforts’ i have almost no useful details posted anywhere about anything. below are proper event links with details for this week’s miniature tour with Andrew Sisk, prepared by someone who is clearly more skilled at preparing such things than i am.

please note that tomorrow evening’s show in Toronto starts unsettlingly early – doors are at 7:00 pm, show begins at 7:30 pm sharp. fingers crossed that there are no windows.

see you very soon.

love,

eric.

#1 (solo): Toronto, ON, Wednesday, May 27th (Tranzac, Southern Cross Lounge) – https://www.facebook.com/events/1396751440632426/

#2 (three-piece): Cambridge, ON, Thursday, May 28th (?) – ?

#3 (three-piece): Montréal, QC, Friday, May 29th (Le Cagibi) – http://lecagibi.ca/event/andrew-sisk-lancement-de-disque-raised-by-swansbantam-wing/

#4 (three-piece): Kingston, ON, Saturday, May 30th (Café Musiikki) – https://www.facebook.com/events/739235652841489/

#5 (three-piece): Ottawa, ON, Sunday, May 31st (Raw Sugar) – https://www.facebook.com/events/1547998278784929/

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a few especially intimate shows in Ontario and Québec coming up next week, opening for a musician named Andrew Sisk.

in Toronto (Wednesday, May 27th), i’ll be playing alone at the Southern Cross Lounge (part of the Tranzac Club), in the early evening. show starts at 7:30 pm.

in Montréal (Friday, May 29th, Le Cagibi), Kingston (Saturday, May 30th, Café Musiikki) and Ottawa (Sunday, May 31st, Raw Sugar), it will be a trio. no drums or keyboards. but maybe a loop or two.

details for all shows can be found in the usual place: http://raisedbyswans.com/?page_id=43.

a less sparse update once i’m feeling less sparse. promise.

hope to see you next week.

love,

eric.

six (-ish) things:

1. after struggling for a couple of months to figure out how to move even a small step closer to whatever the “music industry” is, through working alongside Lueda Alia, (and her struggling in turn to figure out how to drag me gently towards it), and then having a coffin-sized section of my apartment ceiling cave in on me as a rather apt metaphor for how the whole process was feeling, i’ve decided to continue on alone once again.

all the glowing things i wrote a few updates ago still stand. L is as talented as ever, it’s me who’s a daft old hermit waving a .22 at passing planes from my imagined little island. there’s too much i just don’t feel comfortable with, too much that i feel i need to protect. i sound like an absolute ass, i’m sure. that’s fine. the truth is that i’ve kind of painted myself into a corner after all this time, and for now at least, i suppose i’m better off on my own. even if i’m not.

only letting you know this to explain why nothing will be changing as dramatically as i’d hinted it might. why the raised by swans twitter account will remain empty. why the soundcloud account will begin to go stale from disuse only a couple of months past its not-so-grand opening. why i will continue posting online updates in the same slow, sporadic way i always have, in only two places. and on and on.

2. finally got around to redesigning this website about a week ago. it’s not done, and some things are not quite right, but that’s because i’m stuck on some things that i don’t understand. slowly working on adding content too. it was an elevator in a sad hotel before. i wanted to make it feel more like home.

3. in spite of being a snail wearing too many shells, i love being connected with all of you, and it means a lot to me to be able to write these little updates and to hear from you in return. so facebook, as doomed as some say it is in the greater scheme of things, and as much as i dreaded becoming a part of it at the start, has become a much more intimate and vital experience than i ever thought it could be. exclusively because of all of you.

but facebook and this website are more than enough for me. if i gave into monitoring and maintaining all the other online things one seems to be expected to maintain these days as an artist – twitter, tumblr, soundcloud, instagram, etc., i’d be pulled under in no time. i’ve no clue how everyone does it. for a terribly private man with no cell phone or personal social media sites to his name, who dreams of living in a small cave by the sea, i already feel stretched too thin. it makes sense to me, for everyone’s sake, that i devote my time and energy to writing and sharing my songs, and perhaps the occasional personal update when i’m feeling brave enough to post one.

this is what many have said is exactly what’s hurting my chances at getting the word out about my music. and subsequently, selling my albums. and booking shows. and on and on. which it almost certainly is.

so what am i saying here. i am saying, “oh well”. i’ve come this far, and i don’t know how to be anything else. i am saying thank you for helping me pick up my own slack, in terms of the sites and accounts some of you have started up yourselves to support my music. someone told me recently about a twitter account that’s floating about out there, for instance, posting things on raised by swans’ behalf. if only you knew how that warms my heart. as did your many suggestions for venues to look into, all around the world, that you were so kind to share with me after i posted my last update.

i’m saying that even though i talk about being alone in all of this, i’m really not, because of all of you. and i don’t take that for granted, not for a fucking second.

5. i hope you’re all okay.

6. if your ceiling starts dripping in multiple places, know that the outdoors wants very badly to come indoors. and once you’re asleep, it will.

with love,

eric.