Shelley Barratt: Latest News

Well, this is it for now. I'm not going to continue to push right now for something that clearly is not working. Sure, I'll continue to write and play on occasion, but the ups and downs are all too much right now. There are other, more important aspects in my life that need attention. If something comes up that is more clear in its direction and agrees wtih me on the inside, then I shall pursue. But at this moment, I will be quiet.

Challenges present themselves in all areas of life. Sometimes we are so focused on the path or even the goal that we miss something along the way. Or we make a mistake and have to backtrack a bit. It is a fine balance of going with the flow yet with awareness and intention. Clear direction and communication only come with time.

Everyone I know is busier than ever in their lives; it's all they can do to keep up. It inevitably feels like we're running out of time, and so we have to choose our priorities and battles wisely. Sometimes, we don't know what we're getting into until we've been in it for a little while. Then, it is change we must contend with.

That's where the kick inside happens, and I'm compelled to move forward through the changes.

It is possible you have a strong force within you that cannot go without something in your life. That something for me is music, writing, songwriting, singing. Undeniably, I must do this. I have to find a way to continue doing this, no matter what else I get into.

I consider myself blessed and lucky to have those in my life who support this, and even want to be a part of it. I know it isn't easy, but oh the rewards of the doing! Creating a great song... evolving in the songwriting, honing the trade, collaborating, recording, performing.

So, I continue to move forward through the challenges, and rise up from the latest ashes to sing again.

My hands push through The Perimeter...

So much so, that there is some excellent stuff happening. I cannot fully explain, but you will hear soon enough.

It's always about stepping outside the box, the comfort zone, whatever boundaries we have put in our own path.

What an interesting time... for me, but also for many people in this world. We *see* so much more than we ever have. We have the potential to understand from a global perspective unlike that which has ever occurred. The common denominator is our humanity. How can it be that I see both more of a chasm and more of an equalizer?

Returning to the current situation at-hand. The Shelley Barratt Band is moving forward in many aspects. It is possible we will soon have a new, produced recording of what I feel is a great song. Details will follow in the coming weeks.

Finally, SOMETHING is happening. I am patient, but I am also determined. And, I think I have a GREAT team with me... this is indeed something new. Here's to the beauty, the joy of music.

Thanks to the band: Bob Reynolds, Joe Spiess, and Jon McMillan. Let's see what we can do...

I'd like to introduce the SB Band's new bassist: Jon McMillan! Jon comes from an incredible bass background, including Old Time Gospel and Bluegrass, Country, Rock, Blues, Big Band, Jazz, and Jazz Trios. Jon also plays with Santa Fe Pianist Randy Heddon and ABQ drummer Matt Thomas, and does studio work for various artists and producers. In his spare time, Jon also is an electrical engineer.

We are very excited to have Jon on board. Expect great things to come...

The Fame Games Special Edition ‘Reviewer’s Picks’ show was just uploaded to the net and is available to listen on-line at www.meermusic.com!

And BIG CONGRATULATIONS! Your song, “Muriel Sweetsong” was one of the Reviewers' Picks!

Find out which reviewer chose your song and why by listening now!

I wanted to take this introspective opportunity to update goings-on in the SB Band world...

First off, I'd like to welcome Joe Spiess as our new drummer. Joe is a breath of fresh air and talented to boot. He brings years of experience and the desire to branch out into other facets of music, including the use of electronic drums- which creates more venue size variance. Joe also plays several other instruments, which will give us the option of "musical chairs" and who knows what else. Mostly, Joe is on the same page as Bob and I, and that has exponentially expanded our music world. Welcome Joe!

So, with that in mind, we are still searching for a like-minded bass player to complete the line-up.

Related to, and because of, the addition of Joe, I have stepped into the territory of taking some criticisms over the past few years regarding my music (and particularly from the album "Origin of Flight") and re-working some older songs.

This leads me to an explanation of "Origin of Flight" that I'm not sure many are aware of. I did this album by myself over the course of a year, working full and part time, struggling to live etc. It was pieced together- and it was the best I could do with what I had at the time. That said, there was lack of production, lack of the tight sound of a working band, lack of varying musical (especially guitar) sounds, and many mistakes that became endearing aspects of the album- and that I consciously decided to keep because of the "real" feel of those moments in time. I also featured musicians that I let "do their thing" because of my relationship with them and love of their craft. From a production point-of-view, there were many things "out of control", but I argue that is what I wanted at the time. An organically-grown snapshot of getting some old songs recorded in order to make way for the new, experimenting with other musicians and showcasing their beauty, and putting it all together with the engineering help of Anthony Kinchion- who wholeheartedly trusted me and what I was doing no matter how strange, resulted in "Origin of Flight". It was not meant to be the next Grammy winner, or even a best-seller. However, I was disappointed at the lack of interest from people I thought for sure would want to know what I had been up to musically. I still have 5 boxes of cd's here at home that never sold, and therefore never payed for themselves. C'est la vie. Overall, I'm happy with what I did and how I did it. I wouldn't change a thing.

"Et tu, Brute?"

Moving forward... now, with the steady and challenging force of Bob Reynolds and the addition of the inspired Joe Spiess, I am excited to pursue, and pick up the pieces of, "Water from Heaven".

Bob and I finally forged into the threshold of collaboration, which I am very excited about. The first song is "Everything I Need", music by Bob and lyrics/melody by me. Expect to hear snippets of that soon here and/or on MySpace. Several new songs are in the works, and Joe has also brought in some song ideas. It appears we are on the road to working as a real band. Thank God, I need to step down from my soapbox! Or, rather, have a reason to be on it...

More soon, but as you can see, a lot going on. Wishing you a wonderful intro to Spring!
Shelley

Oh
Over mountains I may fly
Cross the desert cut and dry
Am I drowning in my own making
Making it up as I go
I always thought there was a flow

I want for nothing
You have given me
Everything I need

Still I race ahead with abandon
Faltering under weight
That wasn’t meant for me
What am I supposed to see
Seeing as I’ve lost my way
Can’t wait for a new day where

I want for nothing
But have I received
Everything I need

This day I’m in
Can’t wait for the end
Stay pray on for another hour
Hear my breathless voice

I want for nothing
But can I stand firmly in
The burden of having everything

I can’t stand here and pretend
That I don’t have the power
That was given me so preciously
I don’t understand
But I accept
I have everything I need

You have given me
Everything I need…

lyrics copyright Shelley Barratt (music copyright Bob Reynolds)

It’s like staring through a brick wall
How can I possibly see you
Dare I pose the question
Do you wish to be transparent
Because I’m having a hard time
Focusing on something so dense
My hands push through the perimeter

WHO ARE YOU
I am the one you wake
I am the fall from grace
WHO ARE YOU
I am the one you wake
TODAY

There’s space on all sides
Yet I feel your presence
Buoyant through the liquid
Moving us about
How am I standing
Feet in still water
Spirit at the well
How am I standing
Once I let go the rails
I fear I might float away
Into the ether into the light reminds me that I

WHO ARE YOU
I am the one you wake
I am the fall from grace
WHO ARE YOU
I am the one you wake
TODAY
I pay for another day
I live a life without hate
TOMORROW
Understanding the wait
Coherent of the pain
HOW WILL I KNOW
I am the one you
WHO ARE YOU
I am the one you wake

You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep
You have nothing, nothing…

If it’s for me to know
I will find the opening
And if it’s solid enough to stand on
It’s where you’ll find me
No holds barred no molds filled

WHO ARE YOU
I am the one you wake…

copyright Shelley Barratt

Have been watching a Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers documentary... on the NFL Network even! (Rooting for The Chargers!) Well, I have to say, everyday exists at least one "aha", and I'm blown away that my consciousness has just *gotten* what an influence Tom Petty has had on me; don't get me wrong- I've always really liked him and his songs. It is fascinating to understand so thoroughly many respects of his songwriting, not to mention LIVING, process. Wow. Ok, so further study is necessary, but this is a cool roots aspect for me. Imagine, being inspired and growing in 2008...

After much ado... there is a demo of Wandering Sun up both on this web site and on my MySpace. Finished song may or may not resemble such, but at least there's a new song up for the listening.

Word on this next project is forthcoming, things a'brewin right now.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!

It’s supposed to be light outside
That’s what we believe in the summertime
But it just wants to rain on us
Wet dogs come in from the thunder
We don’t want to stay inside
Doing what we do in the wintertime
If it’s gonna be cold at all
Take me to the higher elevations

In this summer time

The lightning has disappeared
Beckoning us is the rain
Where we can turn and spin our umbrellas
Any way we choose
Now we don’t care it’s water from heaven
Cats and dogs on hair and clothes
No winter rain could feel this good
We think we’ll stay right here

In this summer time

So we go on about our lives
We can’t wait around for those happy days
The moment we look away
In comes what we had imagined
And it’s warm in our minds
These old dog days of summer
Just let the rain pour down
It feels like a relief release

In this summer time
In this summer time

copyright Shelley Barratt

In the Beginning...
Here we are in an empty place again
Sometimes it gets so full we want a means to an end
But this time it’s the end of May and time to begin
We can begin again until this fire bends

In the beginning there was fire
In the beginning it was all we’d need

We thought it would never come the days would be so long
Counting the hours until the minutes brought the sun
But this time we must face headlong
Into the stars into the wind into the sun

In the beginning there was fire
In the beginning it was all we’d need

But the nights would last too many tears
They’d open doubts they’d carry fears
And faster would the madness spin
Until the sadness settled in

In the beginning there was fire
In the beginning it was all we’d need

So we uncover the ashes to find
Sometimes they'd stay alight and it was all in your mind
But this time we must let it in
We must live breathe learn again
Set me alight set me alight

In the beginning there was fire
In the beginning fire
In the beginning
It was all we’d need

Standing...
I can’t stand
To let myself lose
And yet I stand so well
Standing tall
But standing small
Standing till I can’t stand
Anything at all

Losing fear and
Losing doubt
I’m losing everything
Inside and out

But I can’t lose my stand
‘Cause I know where I stand
I stand still
Still I lose

And I can’t stand
To let myself lose
And yet I stand so well
I was standing small
Now I’m standing tall
And I’m standing till I can stand
Everything
Everything and all

HOW CAN I LOSE
IF IT’S EVERYTHING I AM
HOW CAN I BEGIN
IF IT’S TRUE I NEVER END

HOW CAN I LOSE
IF IT’S EVERYTHING I AM

HOW CAN I
I WIN

copyright Shelley Barratt

Life can shake me like an earthquake
Cracks overhead streets split wide
I try to find higher ground but under the rubble
Where am I

Life can hit me like a tsunami
Nothing but a wave crashed ashore
Suddenly I’m swimming towards the nearest tree
I grab for lives all around me
In this swirling mass of flood

Don’t forget my body
Who controls the flow of my blood
They say “seek and you shall find”
Worse times have been misunderstood

Life can take me like a raging fire
Smoke catches air and takes to sky
I surround my house perimeter empty space
But the flames jump the circle I’m in the circle

Life can whirl me like a hurricane
Wind adept at speeds to overtake
I’m not in a position to leave the scene
I watch the water rise to greet me
And sky touch down in all its fury

Don’t forget my body
Who controls the flow of my blood
They say “seek and you shall find”
Worse times have been misunderstood

Life can soothe me like the wind in my sails

copyright Shelley Barratt

She likes gypsy music
She dances o'er the ground
A veil of painted faces
Take to light and sound
She drums up every rhythm
She twirls a’ thru the night
Reflections in the tidepools
Of eyes in soft moonlight

Ah-iy-ya the whole world sings (ah-iy-ya)
Of the light this traveler brings (ah-iy-ya)
Ah-iy-ya the mystery (ah-iy-ya) Of she…

Light trails fall behind her
As she mixes with the crowd
Following the children
Coax the players loud
Flashes thru the air now
Fire takes to flight
Gasps of awe and wonder
Of orbs smoky and bright

Ah-iy-ya the whole world sings (ah-iy-ya)
Of the light this traveler brings (ah-iy-ya)
Ah-iy-ya the mystery (ah-iy-ya) Of she…

The wind it blows the scattered
Clouds and mist away
Traces of her footsteps
Alight into the fray
She came to give us promise
A soft whisper of heart
She left us with a memory
A place for us to start

Ah-iy-ya the whole world sings (ah-iy-ya)
Of the light this traveler brings (ah-iy-ya)
Ah-iy-ya the mystery (ah-iy-ya) Of she…

copyright Shelley Barratt

originating from the seafloor
capillary waves mark my terrain
settling in the aquifer
these forces have nothing to gain

Perpetual motion no slowing down
In devotion this water flowing all around
By hand, by word, by wand if by lake or by pond

Lost in emotion like lost in a crowd
Crash of great ocean momentum sung aloud
By voice, by stars, by crown to lay me down

ambient taste of the reservoir
I cannot stay clear of doubt

Unlocked potential frozen underground
Melting differential solid state can't seal the sound
Take me from the tip of this soluble soul
And slide from this glacier my vessel will subside
By will, by force, by tide and by contour lines

Pull me up from the springs of life
Pure and crisp as new skin
Quench my fear of drought
I am body of water

like Saraswati wades towards the Ganges
baptize me in the river

Continued navigation sweat off my starboard brow
An oscillation then earth's surface stays me now
By sea, by cloud, by dare suspended in air

Pull me up from the springs of life
Pure and crisp as new skin
Quench my fear of drought
I am body of water

copyright Shelley Barratt

They grow like weeds
I turn to seed
I wander the mines of their behavior
And field the countdown of our lives

Taking turns to feed
The hungry they know no guarantee
I'm watching through the window
Of ticking clocks and wind-up personalities

And if you’re thinking
I’m talking about food
Then water son
And soak down to the roots

Roots, they offer some sort of direction
Attached to the earth entwining your affection
Roots, they know how to survive
Even in brighter times
Nourish the need to stay alive

Shelter solace not fade
My offer as always is made

And if you’re thinking
I’m talking about food
Then water son
And soak down to the roots

Roots, they offer some sort of direction
Attached to the earth entwining your affection
Roots, they know how to survive
Even in brighter times
Nourish the need to stay alive

They grow like weeds

copyright Shelley Barratt

Horses clash on a snow-covered prairie
Wind at our backs one day closer
We’ve been riding this trail from dust to dawn
Kicking up dirt getting colder
Are we on the run
Are we open to reys
Of the wandering sun

Ground beneath us is soft underfoot
Red clay blue sky and bright yellow flowers
We are primary in our minds
We have no problem talking for hours
Now I’ll be the silent one
And I’ll mirror the sound
Of a wandering sun

Traveling quicksilver through wind and rain and vacant lots
Tunneling through until we see the light

Temporary blindness from cracks in the veil
Is enough to give us pause
It’s sundown as like battles like
We refuse to acknowledge the cause
Will this path ours become
Until we too are shadows
Of the wandering sun

Let those wild horses follow the stars
While onwards we roam
Let those wild horses follow the stars
While we find our way home
Let those wild horses follow the stars
We are not alone

Let those wild horses follow the stars
While ever on towards
The wandering sun

copyright Shelley Barratt

I wish everyone Happy Holidays, 2007... the Thanksgiving Holiday is just coming to a close, and I have had some good time to settle within. My heart goes out to those in the world right now who are struggling and need help more than I can physically give: California (fires), Bangladesh (cyclone), Pakistan (political unrest), Iran (nuclear proliferation), London (financial boom), of course the War in Iraq, and so many other places and peoples (some just down the street from me)... I pay attention to what is happening in the world, aware that how I know may be filtered. I also take a step back and try not to live in fear myself- encouraging others to do the same.

Ebb and Flow.

More recording very soon!

A song wafts through my mind like the summer breeze that I think we all could use during these Dog Days... "Wake me up, when September comes." Yes, occasionally even a Green Day song pops into my head.

SO September, you say?? And I say, YES! The Shelley Barratt Band is up and running again-- this time to play *Opening Day* at the NEW MEXICO STATE FAIR. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2007 from 4:30 - 7:30 PM Happy Hour at the Boxcar Stage in the Beer Garden.

Admission: Adults: $7, Senior Ages 60 or Older $5, Children 12 and under: $4. For more info about the NM State Fair, go to: www.exponm.com//fair/visitorinfo/index.asp

In addition to all the fun finds at the Fair that day, at 4:30 the Matt Jones Trio will be featured at the Ford Pavilion (yes, you may break away for a few songs to catch Matt), and at 7:30 you'll find the beloved Strawberry Zots also at the Ford Pavilion (this is where I'll be after our show!).

The last few months have been a challenge for me, working hard and healing my arm, but I'm very excited to be back into it.

This time, I'll have with me the ever-present Bob Reynolds on guitars, Mikey Prins on keys (Mikey played last year with us), Louie on drums and "Artie" on bass. Jimmy LaPrelle (our usual drummer, and featured UNM college student) is off to Germany for a semester. We wish Jimmy well, and hope to play much when he returns! We're still in the market for a more "permanent" bass player, but we appreciate all of the folks who have played this role for us!

Also, we may be playing a show on Saturday, September 22nd at Ralli's with Edith Grove and an international touring band called Angela Latham and the Payphone Loveless, so please stay tuned for more.

As always, thank you for your friendship and support. And enjoy the music!

Closer to the time in which I pick up again. Curious to see how everything has evolved. Feeding that which expresses itself through me, I continue to live my life and hum my music.

See you again very soon...