heatherlyn :: independent, singer, song~artist, poet, raconteur inspiring hope...

Happy New Year from Us!! :: two thoughts...

2012-01-01T18:51:00.001-06:00

RESOLVE + INTENTION

Bull-headed resolution has never gotten me very far. I find long term maintenance of such energy to be nearly impossible, unhelpful and ungracious. Each new moment, each new hour, each new day, I seek to live presently, mindfully, in a way that benefits rather than sabotages myself and my true desires & dreams; in a way that will benefit beyond myself too.

Rather than make resolutions, I am seek to put more thoughtful intention behind my actions and deliberate, worthwhile actions behind my intentions.

I seek to forgive myself quickly and realize that every time I feel I've failed, I've succeeded in learning something that will benefit the next leg of the journey and ultimately, I seek to never give up on who I know I can be.

TIME IS NOT OUR ENEMY

What would it mean to view each day as a gift, offered in a plain old simple box to be decorated in any way we chose? What if *we* are the gifts delivered in the package of each day - presents through our presence.

May this turn of the year remind us that every day is new. Every hour, a gift to be given. May we have the openness to receive, the imagination to co-create something wondrous and the patience to see it through... "it" being all-inclusive of endless possibility.

Happy, Abundant New Year from us!

www.heatherlynmusic.com

An Original Recipe from Heatherlyn :: a happy holiday gift to you!

2011-12-06T20:35:00.001-06:00

Even though my primary art and expression is song, as an artist, sometimes I need to refuel my creative wells by engaging in a variety of non-pressured, playful expressions. Inspiration sometimes leads me to watercolor, go for a nature walk or it might lead me to create in the kitchen...

In college, a floor mate of mine introduced us ladies to her mom's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I've had her recipe ever since and after several years of experimentation, enjoying, sharing and adapting, I'd like to share with all of you lovely people my own Playful Pumpkin Cookie Recipe!

These delightful treats are a favorite in our our home for this time of year, beginning about whenever autumn sets in and through to Christmas. Really, they're great any time of year. They are especially enjoyed by our band when our living room turns into the rehearsal studio.

This vegan recipe is wholesome, full of whole grains, heart-healthy Omega-3s and fun spices. I also make suggestions for the fair-trade conscious baker. If you're into all those things, hope you and yours thoroughly enjoy for your holiday celebrations!

Love,

Heatherlyn

Heatherlyn's Playful Pumpkin Cookies Recipe!

Dry Mix

· 1 ½ c. whole wheat pastry flour (Such as Bob's Red Mill)

· 1 ½ c. quick-cook oats

· 1 tsp. baking soda

· ½ tsp. sea salt

· 1 tsp cinnamon (vietnamese cassia cinnamon is my favorite - not a brand, just a type)

· Up to 1/2 tsp blend of your favorite spices such as 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp each of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice.

Wet Mix

· 1 cup (organic) brown sugar (such as Fair-Trade Wholesome Sweeteners)

· 1 cup (organic) granulated sugar

· 1 ½ c. canned/mashed pumpkin

· ½ cup 100% apple butter (no sugar added)

· 1 Tbs. ground flax seed and 3 Tbs. water (let “jell” 3 minutes before adding to wet mixture)

· 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract (such as Fair-Trade Frontier Co-op)

PLUS 1 cup semi sweet fair-trade chocolate chips (such as SunSpire)

OR 1 cup of your favorite combination of Chocolate chips, Raisins, , chopped walnuts almonds, etc...I used 3/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 raisins once and it rocked.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Use non-stick cookie sheet. (I spray with a Canola Oil Spray.)

Combine the ground flax seed and water and set aside to jell.

Do the Dry mix.

Do the Wet mix separately.

Combine ‘em!

Add chocolate chips. Try a little dough. YUM!

Scoop onto sheet, whatever size feels good to you and bake about 20-25 minutes.

I’d check ‘em at 20. The flax seed browns bake goods faster, and you can let ‘em “bake” on the sheet a little more after you remove them from the oven too! The apple butter will make these extra moist and cakey. The flax seed makes them chewy.

Christmas & Winter Songs from Heatherlyn

2011-12-06T19:31:00.001-06:00

Holidays with Heatherlyn YouTube Playlist

During the month of December, we will be adding more home videos of playful winter songs and traditional Christmas carols for you and yours. Hope these songs from us fill your home with sweetness. Just click the link above!

Peace and Love,

Heatherlyn

Heatherlyn at Sample Night LIVE's Decemeber Audience Favorite Show!!

2011-12-05T18:02:00.001-06:00

Heatherlyn is excited to participate in Sample Night Live at 7pm on 12/7/2011 at the History Theatre in downtown Saint Paul.

Sample Night Live presents a dozen short samples of quality performing arts events plus a visual arts installation on the first Wednesday of each month. Audiences use the playbill to opt in to the groups they love. It’s a great way to learn what is happening in the arts scene and discover something new!

When I performed for S.N.L. this past fall, the audience voted for me and won me the honor of "Audience Favorite of the month"! Because of their love and support, I’ve been invited to participate in the December Audience Favorite show. If you're able to come and vote for me, I could win Audience Favorite for the year! That could be fun. =)

Everyone who shows up gets the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the Guthrie, The Ordway, CDs, and many other prizes donated by the groups performing that evening. Plus, everyone leaves with a goody bag filled with freebies and discount coupons to shows and events all over town.

Act I is Rated-G, Act II is Unrated; and kids get in FREE. Use Discount Code MEMBERS and get $5 off admission online. Buy tickets, check out the line-up and see the complete list of prizes at www.SampleNightLive.com.

You're invited to the Facebook event.

We are grateful for the staff and volunteers that make SNL happen. Heatherlyn Music has been in relationship with them for a couple of years now and they have been so good to us. Everyone involved has a great spirit abouot them which seems to stem from a genuine appreciation for artists and enthusiams to see us thrive within the greater community. Cheers!

Kindness in a Ziplock :: music on the move

2011-11-29T12:07:00.001-06:00

What do you do when you see someone with a cardboard sign at the street corner? What do you think as you sit at that red light? How do you feel towards the one reaching out...especially in this season when there's a lot more talk about giving and sharing and "spreading the joy of the season".

It's a good question: "What DO we do...?". What would be most beneficial and helpful? Though many questions need to be asked and addressed about larger societal and systemic circumstances that have led someone to the streets, in that moment, it seems to me that the better question is simply: "What is kind?"

Especially during the winter months, as the chill sets in, my husband and I, along with a group of friends, decide we'd like to be prepared to simply show kindness when such an unanticipated encounter at the street corner occurs. We would rather find a way to move out of a sense of shared human dignity instead of ignore, judge or make assumptions about that individual's story or motivations. So we gather together, everyone providing something different to contribute to what we call "Love in the Glovebox Bundles".

We pool together large ziplock bags, hats, socks, gloves, chewy granola bars, hand warmers and other small, useful items to assemble simple care packages. Our hope is that this small gift will be of significance to whoever receives it. Our hope is that it will at least contribute a ray of hope into their day and communicate: "You are not alone. Someone cares."

We want to do more this season than share songs about "comfort and joy". On Thursday, December 8th, Heatherlyn Music is teaming up with The Buzz Coffee Cafe, inviting all the communities we've connected to, through the music to bring collected care package items and create Love in the Glovebox bundles together.

All of us will take a couple bundles to have in our gloveboxes and we'll leave the rest at The Buzz for baristas to pass along to patrons and share the movement with the abundance of guests who come through the next day for their artisan fair!

Our time together will begin at 6:30pm with a couple songs from Heatherlyn and her brief reflection on why the heart beat of the music would naturally inspire us to lead our community in this simple movement of active compassion. Beyond being an audience and enjoying the music, we invite everyone to engage the music, engage kindness, engage humanity.

If you are not geographically near to us, but your heart is near to this conversation and you've been looking for a way to respond to that question: "What do we do...", feel free to share the idea - collect, create, and care with your group of friends and family. Share your story here.

QUICK LINKS

Facebook Event

Heatherlyn Music

Love in the gLovebox

KARE 11 Today Show with The Storydwellers

2011-09-16T17:40:00.001-06:00

A couple of The Storydwellers, my band mates, Matt and Aaron joined me on the set of the KARE 11 Today Show to announce the release of our brand new album STORYDWELLING! We had so. much. fun. Check it out....

VIEW COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY

LIVE TV :: BEST NOT TO TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY...."Laughter is the best relaxer." says my friend Lindsey Lewis. She's a smart lady.

And of this, Matt Patrick says: "That sweet old guitar of mine doesn't like to played up past the 12th fret... Kinda like an old man that refuses to drive over 40mph on the freeway. You just can't force it!"

WARMING UP AND RUNNING THROUGH OUR TEASERS BEFORE TAPING:

IT WAS A RATHER STAR STUDDED SHOW, but what the heckle does that mean? I believe that each and every one of us - we all are stars born with a light to illuminate our world. So shine on, Friends. VIEW COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY

HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE 10/04 STORYDWELLING ALBUM RELEASE CONCERT!!

PEACE TO YOU AND YOURS!

With a Grateful Heart,

Heatherlyn

09/13 :: STORYDWELLING Album Release - Available Online + In Stores!

2011-09-05T19:58:00.001-06:00

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011, the long awaited release of the STORYDWELLING album, produced at The Library Recording Studio and co-created by the generous contributions of our community will arrive on the scene!

STORYDWELLING will be available on www.heatherlynmusic.com, iTunes, Amazon.com, and all your favorite online music sources. Stores making STORYDWELLING available include the Minneapolis Electric Fetus Record Store and The Buzz Coffee Cafe in Burnsville, MN. Many more online & physical venues to come!

Heatherlyn at World Without Genocide Summer Student Institute

2011-09-05T16:42:00.001-06:00

When I walked into the room at the William Mitchel College of Law in St. Paul, students (upperclassmen in highschool and just heading into college) were discussing the stories of "upstanders" - people who learned about kidnapped and enslaved child soilders who, when they arrived at their "enough moment", took action to be the change they wanted to see in the world.

This was a three day intensive, a summer student institute hosted by World Without Genocide. Ellen, the founder and director, told me that the students had been learning about genocide for the past two days and were to begin the next day with a panel discussion of holocaust and genocide survivors. The students were doing exceptionally well. She said she and her staff knew when they were planning the institute, that music should be a part of it, to add energy and inspiration, perhaps also lend a lift in the intensity of the program and to provide an example of how every part of live is influenced by and can, in turn, influence the issues of hate, dehuminization and genocide.

I had the opportunity to deliver a 45 minute interactive program of music and then, Jason and I stayed for a while longer to learn with the students, watch the latest Invisible Children film and create a red hand to contribute to the Red Hand Campaign, the universal symbol adopted world-wide by children, including former child soldiers, to demonstrate their determiniation to see the end of forced child labor in armed combat.

Thanks again to our friends at youthrive: LIVE! for connecting us to World Without Genocide so we could have to opportunity to practice some storydwelling, to see and hang out with some upstanding youth leaders who are changing the world, and have the chance to share some music too.

Thanks also to World Without Genocide for their incredible work, for the partnership we shared that evening and for the great mug and fair-trade coffee.

And thanks to these incredible students who are willing to give up 3 full days of summer to learn about issues of hate, prejudice, dehuminization and genocide; to not only learn, but also act and make a lasting difference. You all rock! Rock on!

full to the brim :: personal & informative reflection on summer to early fall

2011-07-30T11:05:00.001-06:00

This season is full to the brim and overflowing with goodness and learning...to the point where it could be super easy to get overwhelmed and anxious, but I'm also super excited about each event and happening! They aren't in any particular order. I just wanted to share what's immediately happening and is on the near horizon as well:

Performing at a festival (Braham Pie Day Aug 4th with Jonathan Rundman);

hosting a monthly community-building open mic at The Buzz, a locally owned coffee shop (Aug 5th) This is always a grea time!;

participating in the Youth Frontiers training for their Respect and Responsibility retreats, growing partnership with them as I'm becoming an on-call musician in their excellent work of "building positive school communities";

rehearsing & performing for a Hunger Concert (AUG 20th, Prior Lake, MN) with some great friends;

contributing music with our youthrive:LIVE! partners, to the United Against Violence Summit. This is cool: I'll be a day-long artist-in-residency, listening in to the sessions and creating a new song to sum up the conversation and the intentions we place around ending violence. You're welcome to register and attend this complimentary summit AUG 23rd;

I also get to engage high school students through music as they participate in a 3 day summer World Without Genocide Institute at the William Mitchell College of Law because of our partnership with youthrive:LIVE!

presenting music for a Public Arts St. Paul Community Caberet (AUG 25th) in The Western Sculpture Park;

lining up radio and television spots in preparation for the Storydwelling album release (Sept 13th);

persuing album reviews & blog reflections (Let us know if you want to blog or if you know someone who writes reviews - THANKS!); promoting the album release concert (and seeking to mobalize our community to help promote it so let us know if you want in!);

learning WordPress (which is more complex than I thought it would be), recreating & launching our new website;

regularly (like about twice a week) planning & contributing music to faith community gatherings as a free-lance artist; August artist-in-residency with the Awaken Community;

MUSIC VIDEO (!) taping for Home with You Continues with our terrific photgrapher/videographer friend from A Peace of My Mind;

working with our fabulous designer on posters and postcards (more promotion stuff);

hoping for the opportunity to create Storydwelling journals to accompany the album and make them available by the album release concert on OCT 4th;

wondering how we'll be able to have some great, quality photos & videos captured of the CD release concert since we have no budget for it;

ongoing networking; booking (booking[at]heatherlynmusic[dot]com);

Sample Night LIVE performance SEPT 7th; Tee-it-up for the Troops performance; Fargo, ND performance and more...;

company coming into town, house concert tonight and more, working on a long-overdo email update (which you can sign up for at our homepage) and more...

...doing my very best to not be overwhelmed, to manage my health and wellbeing & not entirely neglect my friendships, take one day, one step at a time, and, most importantly, doing my very best to be centered in the heartbeat of who we are why we do what we do.

These are just some of the things on my mind and there's more...If something caught your attention you are interested in connecting to some of the public shows, do check out our SHOWS page at www.heatherlynmusic.com and if you have some ideas for creative ideas for spreading the word about the new album that you'de be willing to head up, please email us or send a facebook message. THANK YOU!!

Much love,

Heatherlyn

Heatherlyn Contributes a Song for Mayor Ryback's Community Conference

2011-07-29T20:58:00.001-06:00

Once again, in partnership with youthrive: LIVE!, we were able to connect in something so much larger than ourselves. Last Friday, Mayor Ryback of Minneapolis held a community conference entitled...

Blueprint for Action: Preventing Youth Violence in Minneapolis

Here's a description and purpose of the event excerpted from the city website (link above): The City of Minneapolis recognizes that youth violence is a public health epidemic that requires a holistic, multi-faceted response. Drawing on a mix of increased law enforcement and public health strategies to address the root causes of violence and significantly reduce and prevent youth violence in Minneapolis, the city, in partnership with a host of community stakeholders, created the Blueprint for Action. Goals identified in the Blueprint:

Connect every youth with a trusted adult,
Intervene at the first sign that youth are at risk for violence,
Restore youth who have gone down the wrong path, and
Unlearn the culture of violence in our community.

We weren't able to to attend the entire day, but we were honored to participate in closing the day with song. As with many of these events, Put On Your Climbing Shoes seemed to be the most fitting. Local youth, legislators, activists, youth workers, educators, city employees had gathered to learn and deliberate intentional effective steps to work together to impliment the above goals and live as peacemakers in everyday working, playing, speaking, doing, being.... There was much mental exercise and much flexing of the heart muscle and now it was time to stand together and get our groove on for goodness in the world. As I began, everyone was responding to a call to physically write and display their pledge for 24/7 peace on the wall.

May we all do our part to cultivate courageous kindness and justice that finds its full consummation in reconciliation & restoration rather than retribution. May we be mindful even of our violent thoughts and subdue them with peace - which must be cultivated within to be perpetuated without. I know I can't do this alone. We are all in this together.

Building Blog Buzz for the Storydwelling Album

2011-07-29T19:17:00.001-06:00

Blogs (short for "web log") from friends of Heatherlyn Music have been popping up, making kind mention of the Storydwelling album. We are grateful and honored to see a variety of folks taking the time to reflect on the music from each one's unique voice, vantage and vocation. As these thoughtful posts are shared, my hope is that readers and writers alike might find yourselves engaging in a bit of 'storydwelling' in practice. Show these bloggers some love by paying their posts a visit and leaving a comment in response to their reflection, espcially if you've heard some or all of the new (yet unreleased) album.

Much love and gratitude to the following for their kind words and questions.

If YOU decide to post a blog about the Storydwelling album or create a facebook note about it, please let us know, so we can read it and share it too! GRATITUDE, Friends!

OK...here you go...storydwell, read, enjoy, comment, create your own blog post...

Author: Sue Leibnitz - theology student, mom, community leader

Blog: SUEPRISES

Post: "What's so special about Heatherlyn?"

Quote: "This CD will touch your heart. It stays with you, not like an earworm that wiggles through your brain evolving into a mere annoyance. Rather, her music lingers with you like the feeling that lingers in your heart after a great experience with a good friend."

Author: Lindsey Lewis - award-winner blogger, retreat center founder and yogi

Blog: Joy for Life

Post: "music is love: heatherlyn music ignites, inspires and elevates"

Quote: "This self- and accurately-described soulful, rooted, rockin', guitar-playing singer-song-artist, poet and storydwelling traveler has a voice and impact about 10 times her small but very strong size."

Author: Matthew Boltz-Weber - outdoors enthusiast; plays various wooden, stringed instruments; spiritual leader; dad

Blog: hikerrev

Post: authentic music

Quote: "As soon as Heatherlyn started singing, I was hooked. But beyond the music, what grabs me about this album is the idea behind it ~ that through music, we can share deep parts of our own story with one another, thereby healing relationships and creating community. And it's not just the idea ~ the music is good."

Post 2: Story and Music

Quote: "The stories we tell ourselves tell us who we are. Do we want hollywood to take on that role, or do we want to tell ourselves true stories of who we are, and who we will be becoming? What would it be like if we turned off the televisions (and other electronic media) so that we could sing songs and tell stories together?"

Author: John C. O'Keefe - recently published author, friend of 'misfits'

Blog: a conceptual mind in a conceptual age

Post: storydwelling

Quote: "To give you an idea of how I like the CD – it has not been out of my player since I received it. Because I am drawn to the story, even the idea of the title “Storydwelling” spoke to me – the idea of dwelling, living, in the story set the mode for me long before I put the CD in my player, and to be honest I was not disappointed."

www.heatherlynmusic.com

Storydwelling to be release onto iTunes, Amazon.com, independent friendly record stores that we can connect to and more 09.13.11.

Spread the word!

Enjoy tracks as we stream them on http://heatherlynmusic.bandcamp.com!

Fri, Jul 22, 7pm :: Loring Theater

2011-07-22T16:04:00.001-06:00

Heatherlyn with Stories of Glory (Minneapolis artists including Hypel and Youthrive LIVE artist Mike Dreams).
Info link up at www.facebook.com/heatherlynmusic

IMG_2254.MOV Watch on Posterous

Peace to you and yours,
Heatherlyn

Singer. Song-Artist. Poet.
www.heatherlynmusic.com

10 Second Dance Break ~ brought to you by this jammin' lil' dude (& yours truly but mostly the lil' guy)

2011-07-14T14:18:00.001-06:00

VIDEO0093.3gp Watch on Posterous

"We had your CD playing the other day, and my son just started jammin' to it. We thought he was going to have lift off. He loves it. Thanks so much for your words of hope and grace"

We get to thank Matt Dobyns from Pheonix for sharing this little jem of joy with us this week. We always hope that the music itself will get your body grooving and the heartbeat of the songs will keep you moving as you go about your lives being the change you want to see in the world.

Peace and One Love, Friends!

Cheers!

GENERATE MAGAZINE features the STORYDWELLING Album!

2011-07-11T14:11:00.001-06:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Thanks to our friends at GenerateMagazine.com for including the Storydwelling album in their latest edition. We were quite impressed with this review and hope Generate Mag readers pick up an autographed copy of the album on our website www.heatherlynmusic.com!
Read the article in the photograph. It's pretty sweet! Thanks again, Generate!

Peace.

Fun excerpt from LIVE Concert with SOLID!!...

2011-06-20T13:54:00.001-06:00

IMG_0456.MOV Watch on Posterous

...some seriously rockin' Nebraska youth who spent the week engaged in service learning all throughout Denver.

During this song, we were also accompanied by booming thunder and the rhythms of rain on the roof. Couldn't have been a more perfect song for the stormy sounds. A great moment.

It was so fabulous to be with SOLID for their week of service-learning and deep faith connection, partnering with various non-profit organizations around Denver, volunteering and learning true-life stories about people who have both served and benefited from agencies like the JeffCo Action Center.

Rock on, SOLID! Much love! Mwah!

Home with You on the road...

2011-06-11T11:12:00.001-06:00

"If we lived in a conversion van RV
Taking music on the road. We'll see the whole country. Through the mountains, down highways to the city streets,
The world our view, we're driving on to live our destiny...

I'd be at home with you, Baby, yeah.
I'd be at home with you, my love. All I need to make this house a home
Is for us to be together.
My home is with you wherever we are...."

Heatherlyn's Lyrics from 'Home with You Continues' ~ A Storydwelling Song

(c) 2011 Heatherlyn Music ASCAP
Heatherlyn
Singer. Song-Artist. Poet.
And currently on the road with the one she loves....

www.heatherlynmusic.com

Two Wolves

2011-06-05T17:13:00.001-06:00

"A Native American grandfather talking to his young grandson tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other wolf is fear, greed and hatred. 'Which wolf will win, grandfather?' asks the young boy. 'Whichever one I feed,' is the reply." ~ Native American Proverb

A Day of Peace :: Red Wing Correction Facility - Red Wing, MN

2011-05-31T21:18:00.001-06:00

After PeaceJam in Minneapolis was through, PeaceJam staff from Denver, local youthrive staff, youthrive partners, youthrive: LIVE! artists and President Oscar Arias Sanchez (1987 Nobel Peace Prize) took a day trip to Red Wing for "A Day of Peace" at the Red Wing Correction Facility.

The young men gathered to listen to the stories and ideas of President Arias. Residents, identified by their peers and teachers as peacemakers, were given the opportunity to shake the President's hand and ask him questions. The 'peacemakers' were also the residents who greeted us and made sure we knew where we needed to go. They were pretty cool young men.

Following the president's presentation, we broke into groups to accompany the residents back to their houses/dorms to have lunch together and do workshops. I joined the one on creative expressions and it was beautiful. A couple of the young men brought out their poetry to share with us before lunch was over. And by the time we were through with the workshop, we had gotten pretty deep. Most of them shared something from their story. From my experience of listening to their stories and poetry, I mostly just want everyone to know that I saw a lot of hope and a lot of humility in these young men. They articulated a genuine desire to move beyond whatever had led them to the correction facility in the first place. Some shared about the pain in their experiences. Some shared anger. All of it was honest and raw. All of it contained eagerness for a better life.

Following the workshops, we all gathered together again in the gymnasium for the finale celebration of The Day of Peace. Dawn Engle, co-founder of PeaceJam, shared some moving reflections. Youthrive: LIVE! artists - Maria Isa with Muja Messiah, D.J. Snuggles and Heatherlyn - performed. I'm not sure exactly what moved them, but I was blown away that the residents stood to their feet and applauded enthusiastically after my first song. Pretty humbling.

I remember, as we were leaving, I was thinking that probably the general population has a pretty skewed view of residents of a correction facility. We hear labels like 'juvenile delinquent' perhaps without giving a second thought to how laden with disgust and judgment these terms tend to be and with no consideration given to that young person's story, what they've been taught, whether or not a trusted grown up has been there for them as a guide or a mentor.

Judgmental assumptions have no place until (and even when) we've taken time to do some storydwelling, some deep listening to the pain and disappointment and hopes and heartbeat of someone's life. When we give place to understanding and compassion, we want another person to succeed, learn from their past, fulfill their dreams to overcome and be a positive contributor to society and the world.

I left the correction facility appreciating the environment there, one that shows respect to the residents (I noted that the staff didn't call residents, 'inmates') and appropriate accountability that leads to empowerment, growth and even leadership. I was thinking about the cold and structured societal systems of paperwork and records that face these guys when they move on from the nurturing environment of Red Wing and I was just hoping that they would continue to be encouraged and empowered to keep moving forward with the progress they've made, that their pasts would not be held against them, that each and every one of them would be able to start anew and fresh when it's their turn to go back home or go to college or get a job.

Some of the residents were thinking about that too, it seems and they inquired if there's a way to connect into PeaceJam when they graduate out of the Red Wing program. There are ways and I think we are learning how to communicate the potential opportunity.

Jason and I look forward to returning and continuing to connect through our excellent partners youthrive and PeaceJam, to learn the stories of the Red Wing Correction Facility residents and engage in creative experession and conversation with them. We trust that we will continue to hear stories of hope, change and positive leadership from these residents even beyond those walls and gates in Red Wing.

Peace, Friends.

Cool gifts from some new young friends

2011-05-30T20:50:00.001-06:00

Shared music with the community at Light Of The World Lutheran Church in Farmington, MN yesterday. Immediately following, a couple new little fans came right up to me with these sweet gifts. I noticed that even though the topic of conversation wasn't specifically about peace and even though these youngsters were seated at different tables, they both brought me symbols of peace. These unanticipated benefits of the gig and the smiles they bring to your face, straight through to your heart...you just can't name how valuable they are. Thanks to my new little friends at LOTW. Smiley face.

Peace and One Love.

Heatherlyn with Youthrive for PeaceJam in Minneapolis

2011-05-30T17:50:00.001-06:00

Each year, our partner youthrive (St. Paul, MN), the regional affiliate of the international PeaceJam, holds an event for all youth in the region who have been participating in youthrive curriculum: serving their communities, building peace where they are and learning about the life story and work of a particular PeaceJam Nobel Laurate.

This year, the Nobel laureate was President Oscar Arias Sanchez. In the fall, each of the youth groups made a committment to Preseident Arias to make a difference through a specific project in their communities. In the spring, he came to the regional PeaceJam celebration in Minneapolis to visit the youth in person and be their keynote presenter. During this weekend, the youth reported back to President Arias what they've accomplished on their committments and projects. They also engaged together in service learning in the Frogtown neighborhood and enjoyed inspirational local artists and cultural celebration.

As a youthrive:LIVE! artist, Heatherlyn was invited to contribute music to the Ceremony of Inspiration, a time in the weekend - after hearing the Nobel laurate and after spending hours working hard on service project - a time when all the youth who desire come forward to share what inspires them to be the change they want to see in the world. They shared about their families, experiences of community surrounding them following a traumatic experience, loved ones who have passed on and individuals who have made a difference in their lives.

I was inspired by them and their stories. I was inspired to see youth from all over the MidWest, youth of every color, some from citites, some from farms, coming from different creeds and backgrounds. There are probably many things that differentiated them but they all share in common the desire to participate in hope and engage in meaningful, positive change in their communities.

Learn more about PeaceJam, youthrive and President Oscar Arias Sanchez at their respective links.

Peace and One Love.

Performance for SADD Students/MADD Youth Jam at Verizon Center, Mankato

2011-05-25T06:33:00.001-06:00

Photo by John Cross. Origin: Mankato Free Press

Once again, our partnership with youthrive: LIVE! provided a soulful, rooted, rockin' opportunity to contibute music to a movement much larger than ourselves. The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD Minnesota) hosted a Youth Jam in Mankato, MN for about 250 youth, most of whom are part of the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) program and all who are leaders of their peers, seeking to be the change they want to see in their world.

They day was about equipping and empowering SADD students to respond to the devestating impact of distracted driving that, unfortunately, many of them have experienced with the loss of a friend and to prevent reoccurance.

Youthrive; LIVE! brought Heatherlyn Music, beatboxer D.J. Snuggles and hip-hop artist Maria Isa to lend some entertainment and inspiration to the day. We then co-led one of the many breakout sessions in a panel discussion about being leaders of change through the arts. This was a really fun and meaningful time of connecting with students and I was personally, heartened to, once again, encounter such stellar youth leaders who are taking initiative to positively shape their world.

And we made the news! Check out more about the day here!

More great photos on Facebook. (Not sure that everyone will be able to see these, but if you're able, enjoy!)

NBC's The Voice

2011-04-26T20:08:00.001-06:00

I can't recall how many times someone has said to me: "You should be on American Idol!" or "Have you ever thought about trying out for American Idol?"

Well, sure. I think it's likely at least crossed the mind of most singers. Even if you didn't win a reality show like that, it would certainly be an interesting experience and offer good exposure. I haven't watched American Idol in a while, and I've heard the vibe of it has improved, but I mostly felt like it was too cut-throat for me. I prefer to be in environments where people are encouraged to develop their gift and voice without being unneccessarily insulted and it seemed to me that good sportsmanship was lacking in the competative nature of it all.

Last November, we received an email from the casting company working with NBC on a brand new singing show called The Voice. You might have seen it premier tonight. It's based off the highly successful Holland's Voice and we thought the vibe and sound of it was more up our alley. I could play my guitar to accompany myself and we liked the idea of blind auditions and the celebrity judges becoming actual mentors of the competitors rather than mere spectating judges.

I accepted the invitation to audition, with some excitement and some nervousness. My audition was on the same day as everyone else's shot in Minneapolis, but I didn't have to arrive before dawn and wait all day to sing for the casting company and share my story. Honestly, I'm not sure I would've auditioned otherwise. I'm committed to music as my path, however it "works out".

I was in and out fairly quickly and it was a cool experience. I did a couple songs I love and many of you have enjoyed in our 2011 cover song video series: Redemption Song by Bob Marley and my version of People Get Ready by Curtis Mayfield. I enjoyed the whole experience and meeting the folks working for the casting company. They were great.

They asked me to come back to callbacks the next day and wondered if I could bring more "upbeat" songs. I didn't entirely know what that meant: more happy? more rocking? They, for sure, wanted more current hit songs since that's what the producers of the show would be more interested in.

I busted my butt that afternoon and evening to learn Sara Bareilles' King of Everything and Adele's Rolling in the Deep. The ONE thing I wanted was to present my very best and leave knowing I had authentically, freely and fearlessly shined, which is what I always desire to do for the benefit and blessing of those impacted. My ONE desire seemed defeated. I felt thrown off by a couple things, which don't really matter at this point...but the wait was much longer that day and i was exausted and hungry and I felt awful leaving the callback.

Our new friends from the casting company were cool and apparently, I was one of their favorites from our city. I'm grateful for their work and their belief in me. We moved along in the process with a phone interview from one of the segment producers and, while we were in Bethel, AK, I was filling out extensive background check papers. It was seeming like a real possibility! At some point, though, it wasn't a good fit. The executives decided to not send me on to the casting finals in L.A. Naturally, I felt a tinged of rejection at that news, but I'm content to have not had to leave my partner and love for 6 weeks to tape the show in L.A. and I'm happy to focus on the many wonderful things we have in the works for 2011.

I happily congratulate those who made the show, those you are currently enjoying on it now. We met Tim Mahoney during callbacks and appreciated his open, sincere and natural-to-talk with kind of way about him.

Happy watching and listening and now you know my answer to everybody's question: "Have you ever thought of being on...."

Bliss + Sweat :: final photos from the studio

2011-04-12T10:06:00.003-06:00

Bliss + Sweat

All the scary risk-taking and sacrifice required to live into our dream brings weariness and doubt at times. But it's moments like this that affirm we are on the right path, moments when I remember and feel in my very bones that this is what makes me most alive and I know this is truly the best gift I have to offer all of you. This is how I can most contribute to making our world a better place. I am so grateful.

Here are the best and likely the last photos of vocal tracking for the Storydwelling record! Wah!

Remember: We might not all be artists but we are all co-creators. We can all contribute to what's good and beautiful in our world.

What is your place of bliss? How are you contributing to the good and the beautiful in the world around you?

Accepting the AWARE Award with Youthrive: LIVE! // Our Story

2011-04-12T10:06:00.001-06:00

One of our partners in music and community engagement is Youthrive: LIVE!. They brought Heatherlyn Music (myself and Jason) along with two other artists (Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria and Tish Jones) to the Summit to Prevent Sexual Violence hosted by the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault back in Dec of 2009.

Youthrive: LIVE! was selected by MNCASA as a 2011 AWARE award honoree and the artists were invited to accept the award on their behalf. We are so blessed to have the chance to work with these quality individuals and to partner with these healthy, effectively impactful organizations. It was wonderfully encouraging to be recognized and affirmed for the work we are doing.

"Heatherlyn gave an amazing presentation that captivated the room

and had people laughing and crying at the same time. You could hear a pin drop."

READ more from from Youthive: LIVE! about the artists at the Summit to Prevent Sexual Violence. Love these guys.

AWARE AWARD PRESENTATION // YOUTHRIVE: LIVE! ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES ~ Here's Callie Aguilar, Larry Lucio, Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria and myself - collectively addressing and thanking AWARE Awards participants. Thanks to Larry Lucio (Founder and Organizer of Youthrive: LIVE!) for the opportunity and for capturing this moment.

HEATHERLYN's PRESENTATION, with story and song, addressing why this is everybody's business at the Summit to Prevent Sexual Violence, DEC 2009. (This is one of the most personal, difficult stories I've ever shared and I'm not sure I've ever been so emotionally charged. I wasn't about to cry, but I felt like I could hardly contain myself in my own body.)

See the full gallery on Posterous

I was encouraged again when Cordelia Anderson spoke with me following the ceremony. She's a delightful human being and also an effecive leader, communicator and mobilizer in sexual violence prevention. She told me she's been sharing the video of my presentation as a part of her keynote addresses around the country as an example of connecting personal story, arts, awareness and social change. That blows me away and encourages me to keep growing. It's also quite a pertinent and timely word to me as the forthcoming album is entitled 'Storydwelling'...more on that another time. =)

HEATHERLYN's BLOG POST ABOUT THE INITIAL EVENT for which Youthrive: LIVE! received the award.

FULL PHOTO GALLERY of the AWARE Awards Ceremony.

Heatherlyn on 15 local TV stations including MTN with 300,000+ viewers!!

2011-04-11T22:27:00.001-06:00

The soulful, rooted, rockin' Amp It Up performance of Heatherlyn & the Storydwellers will be aired on fifteen stations in the Twin Cities, one to include MTN (Minneapolis Television Network) that reaches over 300,000 viewers! We are so greatful for this opportunity!

BUT if you're in another part of the country, or just feel like watching it now instead of relying on your local station's program schedule, it's right here on the world wide web. Click here to enjoy 5 of the Storydwelling album songs and hear an interview with Singer/Song-writer Heatherlyn and Producer Matt Patrick!

The Songs in this performance:

Rosebud ~ A Lulluby by Heatherlyn
Jack Riddle ~ The story of Mr. Riddle by Melissa Marley Bonnichsen
When I Dream ~ A song for a sleepless night by Heatherlyn
Home with You Continues ~ An ongoing love story-song continued from the debut album by Heatherlyn
Put on Your Climbing Shoes ~ Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all who are working for reconcilliation and building genuine community, by Heatherlyn and Matt Patrick

The Storydwellers in the Amp It Up performance are Zach Miller on drums, Aaron Fabrinni on upright and electric bass and Matt Patrick on electric guitar, ukelele, vocals and Heatherlyn on acoustic guitar and vocals.

You can be expecting these stellar musicians along with a couple more at the CD release concert towards the end of this summer (date TBA soon)!

Here are two simple ways you can be involved in the Storydwelling recording project:

SHARE!! The simplest, easiest and no-cost way of partnering with us is telling others who might be inspired and moved by the music. Share this link, our website and ANY other of our videos + posts as well! Share, email, repost, tweet, tell friends and family what inspires you about the music and the movement it inspires within you!
PRE-ORDER the Storydwelling album at www.heatherlynmusic.com! Reserve your own autographed copy and expect it in the mail! Nothing like getting a package in the mail!

BIG LOVE and GRATITUDE for being our community and for being involved in this project! Peace and much goodness to you and yours always!

Bliss + Sweat :: final photos from the studio

2011-04-11T21:27:00.001-06:00

Bliss + Sweat

Here are the best and likely the last photos of vocal tracking for the Storydwelling record! Wah!

Remember: We might not all be artists but we are all co-creators. We can all contribute to what's good and beautiful in our world.

What is your place of bliss? How are you contributing to the good and the beautiful in the world around you?

Accepting the AWARE Award with Youthrive: LIVE! // Our Story

2011-04-11T14:51:00.001-06:00

"Heatherlyn gave an amazing presentation that captivated the room

and had people laughing and crying at the same time. You could hear a pin drop."

READ more from from Youthive: LIVE! about the artists at the Summit to Prevent Sexual Violence. Love these guys.

See the full gallery on Posterous

HEATHERLYN's BLOG POST ABOUT THE INITIAL EVENT for which Youthrive: LIVE! received the award.

FULL PHOTO GALLERY of the AWARE Awards Ceremony.

Sharing in song for 100 clean latrines in Guatemala

2011-04-10T14:50:00.001-06:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

We are participating in a benefit concert and auction today to support an initiative to fund the building and education for 100 dry latrines in Guatemala. There are several partnerships here through the St. Paul Area Synod who've visited with the people of Guatemala and desire to help alleviate the suffering caused by diarrhea. Eighty percent of the Guatemalan people suffer from acute or chronic diarrhea due to contaminated water or no sanitary facilities.

The photos here are the display of a how an ecological/compostable dry latrine would be built with local materials by the families who use them. It only takes $330 for each unit (materials, transport and labor).

Seems really possible to me. Such a simple solution to facilitate health and well being. I hope his rocks...and I'm sure it will.

I'm going to be sure to sing We Have A Dream and share about Rigoberta Menchu Tum (Nobel peace laureate) a lovely lady I meant last year. The second verse is inspired by her story and her great value of imagination and the ability to dream of a brighter and more hopeful future even in the darkest times.

Peace and goodness, Friend. Gotta go get ready to rock.

Celebrating 3rd anniversary of the debut album with FREE Music & a little stroll back in time....

2011-04-09T12:01:00.001-06:00

April 13th, 2008 we released 'heatherlyn', a self-titled debut album. We thought it was only fitting to celebrate and give it one big last splash before releasing the sophomore album later this year. So, for a limited time, fan favorites from the album are avaibable at www.heatherlynmusic.com for FREE download. If you already have the album, be sure to invite others to help themselves to some free tunes! Thanks for helping extend that invitation to others who we don't know yet!

It's so interesting for me to reflect back on that time. It seems so far away now and it was, as you can see the P.D. (pre-dreadlocks) part of my life. Looking at the photos reminds me of what an incredible community we already had surrounding the music and it's only grown since! I also tend to be my own worst critic, as many of us human beings are, so I have all sorts of self-critique when I listen to the performances from "way back then". I'm glad that we are always capable of growing into our full potential. My approach to singing and writing has evolved over the past three years I'm excited to share that growth in the soon coming sophomore album. In the mean time, come enjoy this little stroll back in time!

PHOTOS FROM THE DEBUT CONCERT!! So fun to look back...and they are all on myspace (because that's what we used back in the day. hehe.) Click here to see the full gallery.

We found this video from the debut release concert celebration in the archives of the local cable access television station. It's Heatherlyn welcoming the crowd, introducing the band and performing Soul Nap. Funny to watch, being "P.D." and all and hopefully, I've grown some since then. ;-)

Thanks againg to Scott Malchow, Aaron Hanson, Dash Leander and Jake England for being such a significant part of my very first album, for believing in me, working hard on it together and contributing generously to it. I will be eternally grateful.

Remember to go to the Music tab on www.heatherlynmusic.com for your free tunes and share the love!

A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. That Will Make You Dance

2011-04-04T13:17:00.001-06:00

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Put On Your Climbing Shoes (lyrics below) is directly inspired by Dr. King's Mountaintop Speech, his final delivery from the day before he was assasinated on April 4th, 1968. Today I grieve that the life of this man who stood for liberty and justice, indeed, for ALL, was taken by brutal ignorance. I also have hope for the incredible legacy that still lives on in every act of unexpected kindness, in every peaceful action for equality, in every courageous endeavor to build bridges with those different from ourselves and in every perpetuated idea that is infused with peace and love.

Enjoy this song today. Get up and dance to it. Have the courage to live it.

Put on Your Climbing Shoes

Set out on this journey brothers and sisters

With provisions of love, grace and forgiveness

With conviction we are all intrinsically connected

So much in common and with beautiful difference.

Put on your climbing shoes

Put on your shoes Take me with you to the mountaintop.

Keep on climbing. We will never stop.

Wade through streams, press on, push against the wind.

Take my hand, build trust. Know my friend, you’ll help me up.

Sometimes we’ll run and hurdle. Sometimes we’ll trip and stumble.

Over rocks and crags, steep passageways, LOVE will lift us.

When stormy clouds are covering the summit view

Remember how rainbows come into bloom.

Storm clouds, showers, thunder and drenching rain

Collide with sunshine rays of light to ribbons of colorful change.

Keep on hiking and we’ll the scale the heights.

Keep in walking. Walk by faith, not by sight.

Put ‘em on. Put ‘em on. Get Ready.

If you would like to share these lyrics, please do so by sharing the link to this post which includes the source and all appropriate credits. Thank you.

Heatherlyn on 15 local TV stations including MTN with 300,000+ viewers!!

2011-03-31T16:41:00.001-06:00

The Songs in this performance:

Rosebud ~ A Lulluby by Heatherlyn
Jack Riddle ~ The story of Mr. Riddle by Melissa Marley Bonnichsen
When I Dream ~ A song for a sleepless night by Heatherlyn
Home with You Continues ~ An ongoing love story-song continued from the debut album by Heatherlyn
Put on Your Climbing Shoes ~ Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all who are working for reconcilliation and building genuine community, by Heatherlyn and Matt Patrick

You can be expecting these stellar musicians along with a couple more at the CD release concert towards the end of this summer (date TBA soon)!

Here are two simple ways you can be involved in the Storydwelling recording project:

SHARE!! The simplest, easiest and no-cost way of partnering with us is telling others who might be inspired and moved by the music. Share this link, our website and ANY other of our videos + posts as well! Share, email, repost, tweet, tell friends and family what inspires you about the music and the movement it inspires within you!
PRE-ORDER the Storydwelling album at www.heatherlynmusic.com! Reserve your own autographed copy and expect it in the mail! Nothing like getting a package in the mail!

BIG LOVE and GRATITUDE for being our community and for being involved in this project! Peace and much goodness to you and yours always!

This small, sweet, snuggly one...

2011-03-22T22:02:00.001-06:00

This small, sweet, snuggly one climbed up into my lap a while ago. I've been reading articles and returning messages on my phone. And you can see what she did. Not sure about moving now...

It must be true what they say about pets reducing stress. Now I'm feeling all warm n fuzzy inside after a fairly stressful day full of emotions. Can't help but be grateful, in this moment, for the simple, significant gifts of small, sweet, snuggly ones.

Sorry to say it's looking like we may need to postpone the "Storydwelling" release...

2011-03-22T10:17:00.001-06:00

Sorry to say it's looking like we may need to postpone the "Storydwelling" album release to summer/fall 2011. Pre-orders have just slowed down too much lately. About 150 physical CD pre-orders this month would help us meet our Spring goal. We'll keep you posted as always.

Thanks so much to those who have been participating in this project. Without the backing of a record label, it is the community that surrounds this music and believes in our work that has been and continues to be the backbone of this stellar project. It will most definitely be worth the wait and we have some sweet plans brewing for an album release party....

Peace and Courage for the Good, Friends.

More about the project here including video, photos and thoughts ---> www.heatherlynmusic.com

Storydwelling :: The Music and the Movement (Recording Project Update)

2011-03-16T21:41:00.001-06:00

STORYDWELLING IS THE ALBUM TITLE OF HEATHERLYN'S FORTHCOMING, LONG-ANTICIPATED FULL LENGTH 2011 RELEASE! The album includes songs from a shared human story, deeply personal songs from Heatherlyn's story and songs with imagination for the story we write with our lives from this moment, on.

Storydwelling, to us, as a way of life is intentionally being present to our own story and the story of others. It is understanding how we've come to this place here and now. It's deeply listening and authentically sharing from our true story. Growing into the practice of storydwelling cultivates compassion for others and affirms the human connection we all share.

We have been working hard on this recording project since the summer of 2010 when Heatherlyn and Producer Matt Patrick began pre-production work at The Library Recording Studio in Minneapolis, MN.

Many of you began to journey with us on this project when we invited our community to participate through the Kickstarter.com initiative. You may know that that initial effort to fund the project actually failed as we did not meet our goal in pledges. We needed to start back at square one, but we were still able to move forward because so many of you still wanted to pre-order and donate to help make the project a reality!

We can't express enough our gratitude for the faith and love you've shown us in this way. As an independent artist, not backed by a record contract or label, it has been entirely the backing of our community that has made this really incredible work of music possible.

(If your Kickstarter.com pledge also served as a pre-order, you may or may not have known that was automatically cancelled since we did not reach our goal in pledges. No transactions were made. Following the Kickstarter.com initiative, many backers decided to affirm their support and/or confirm their pre-order via PayPal on our website. If you would still like to do this, just go to www.heatherlynmusic.com and you'll see the current options available now! You're backing at this point is still incredibly significant to the project's success! THANK YOU!)

Since the summer, so much great work has been done. SEE PHOTO GALLERIES and read more of the story from each stage of recording.

All the tracking is now complete and we are in the last half of the mixing phase. Storydwelling is coming together to be an incredible, cohesive work of art! We have been blown away by what we are hearing come out of the studio as Matt has been working through each mix.

YOUR PARTICIPATION AND PARTNERSHIP ARE STILL WELCOME and incredibly significant to the project's success!! When mixing is complete, next comes the mastering, replication, packaging and promotion. Together we can still get this released in late spring or early summer!

Visit www.heatherlynmusic.com now to pre-pay for your CD copy of the Storydwelling album or make a contribution. Big love and gratitude!

ALSO, Heatherlyn and The Storydwellers (the band) have performed five of the Storydwelling songs for a taping of the local TV show Amp It Up! Very soon we will be able to post a link to the show for you to have a taste of the Storydwelling flavor and a see in action some of the musicians that are on the album! We can hardly wait! In the meantime...

ENJOY A PEEK INSIDE THE LIBRARY RECORDING STUDIO via this YouTube playlist!!

Music is... from a friend and from Plato

2011-03-13T23:10:00.001-06:00

Gratitude to and for my very good and kind friend for believing in me and reminding of the incredbile possibilities for the beauty that music is and all that may brings to this world. Feeling the love.

This was her facebook post today:

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Dedicated to Heatherlyn:
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good, just, and beautiful, of which it is the invisible, but never the less, dazzling, passionate and an eternal form." Plato

Considering styles of CD encasing at Copycats (Mpls) today.

2011-03-11T14:12:00.001-06:00

Cool stuff and one step closer...

Heatherlyn

Singer. Song-Artist. Poet.
www.heatherlynmusic.com

soil and soot...

2011-03-09T21:24:00.001-06:00

soil and soot...
life is lent to me, to you, to us.
all and only grace in the interest rate because it's not just a loan.
it's an inheritance, a trust,
a partnership in artistry
a dance of divinity
fearlessly engaging humanity and suffering and...
what may come?
what may burgeon from the dust...
the soil and the soot?

soil and soot...

2011-03-09T12:22:00.001-06:00

Imagination for Reconciliation :: Writing A Story of Fearless Friendship

2011-03-04T10:40:00.001-06:00

Without a doubt this singer-songwriter has a whole lot of respect for the Beatles and the song 'Imagine' by John Lennon simply seems to be a standard that most song-artists should have under their belt.

I'm still learning about Lennon and his philosophy of life and the world. At face value, the lyrics of 'Imagine' seem to express a belief that we would be better off if all these various things that define and divide us where eliminated.

While I can't say I ascribe to that philosophy (if that's what he's saying) since I myself find deep meaning in a couple of things mentioned in the song, I whole-heartedly agree that these identities need not and must not divide us. I agree that there is 'no need for greed or hunger'. I agree that nurturing an imagination of compassion and peace and non-violent revolutionary action, rooted in love for humanity, will lead us to live into that dream. That's why this song really resonates with me.

Indeed, it seems to me, the only way our world can know peace and fairness for all people is if we find a way to come together across socio-economic, political, religious, cultural and other lines. As much as we are able, let's approach all of life and one another with an imagination for reconciliation and a willingness to fearlessly engage in 'unlikely' friendships.

Let's grow together in deeply listening to and valuing one another's stories and grow in understanding of what has brought us to the place where we are now. Let's seek to grow in respect for one another as brothers and sisters of the human family. Let's write a new story together, a story led by imaginations of goodness to all, a story leaving a legacy that we want to imagine future generations inheriting.

With an imagination for reconciliation and a hope for more fearless friendships in our world...

Peace and One Love,

Heatherlyn

Flavors of the Storydwelling Album on Local Television...!

2011-03-03T10:33:00.001-06:00

This evening, producer Matt Patrick, drummer Zach Miller and upright bassist Aaron Fabrinni will be rocking 5 of the Storydwelling Album songs with me at the Town Square TV studio for a localing airing show called Amp It Up.We are excited to get some of the sonic flavors of the album to a broader audience and share the heartbeat of the music as well.

Here's some rough rehearsal footage of When I Dream. You'll be able to see for yourself that these guys soulfully rock with no reservations. Totally pumped for tonight's taping!! Send us some good vibes and enjoy this peek into the studio where these same musicians, along with others, have been working diligently on the Storydwelling project. This is just a tiny taste of the album and the long-awaited CD release concert (Date TBD).

We met up with kids in the kitchen in Bethel, AK and they shared with me what's been cooking.

2011-02-17T21:22:00.001-06:00

3rd through 6th graders, with their chef hats, on tell me in their own words their experience of Kids in the Kitchen (Bethel, AK - FEB 2011). Check out these video stars!

Recorded and edited on my phone, a primary tool in sharing and inviting all of you to enter the stories where we have had the chance to dwell for a while. I'm no videographer, just a storydwelling song-artist and traveler.

Heatherlyn

Singer. Song-Artist. Poet.
www.heatherlynmusic.com

Bethel, Alaska Artist-in-Residency :: Kids in the Kitchen Hunger Initiative

2011-02-17T18:35:00.001-06:00

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN is an innovative hunger initiative teaching children basic cooking skills and a love of delicious, healthy foods. The specific need to empower kids in this way is essential as sometimes even if there is food in the house, parents might be unavailable due to working late or unfortunately, due to alcoholism.

The DIVERSE PARTNERS OF KIDS IN THE KITCHEN :: Bethel Regional Public Health, WIC (Women, Infants and Children), Table of Grace Lutheran Church, Bethel Family Clinic, UAF Cooperative Extension, Bethel Seventh Day Adventist Church

Through a FireStarter Grant from the Alaska Synod, Jana Deiss, from Table of Grace Lutheran Church, was able to invite us to spend a week in Alaska to dwell in the story of Kids in the Kitchen and the community of Bethel, to promote the program after experiencing it first hand, to lend inspiration and energy to the kids and the whole community through music and interactive arts.

This gallery is from our evening with the kids in the program. You'll see them slicing eggs, enjoying their culinary feats and all of us singing together too! BE SURE TO READ THE CAPTIONS!!

This is the first of several galleries covering our week-long 'artist-in-community' in Bethel, connecting into the Bethel community, an interview at the local NPR affiliate (KYUK Radio), a stop at the local elementary school, the Open Hearts to Hunger Benefit Concert at the Cultural Center that raised $2,300 in Bethel and nearly $1,000 at another concert in Anchorage!

Just got to sing a couple songs with this beauteous group of students & family.

2011-02-11T12:41:00.001-06:00

I love how courageous they are to sing really loudly a song phrase they are just learning.

Had a great time at the radio station too just before swinging over here. Great ways to start the day.

Love & Light
Wisdom & Wonder
Grace & Gratitude

Everywhere, there's a family who makes you feel at home.

2011-02-11T00:07:00.001-06:00

The family that has been showing us around Bethel, AK and making sure we have all we need this week has been absolutely wonderful to us. This afternoon, after visiting a local restaurant, after stopping by the local cultural center and the high school and experiencing an ice road, they made a fire for us to warm our toes and their youngest had a blast with my camera. Smiles.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Btw, the guitar arrived safe and sous with us as well.

2011-02-10T13:47:00.001-06:00

Everyone was great about the guitar and I was able to gate check it each time we changed planes. I just handed it over right before stepping onto the plane and picked it up immediately after getting off (like you would do if you're a parent traveling with a stroller). I got to carry it through each airport and I appreciate that no one gave me a hard time about it as was the case in a previous flight experience when a lady was condescending and mean to me about it...man, I can't tell you how angry that made me feel, and I don't get super pissed too often. I was in tears. But this time, it actually seemed like everyone cared. Grateful.

Heatherlyn

And the sun continues to rise over the frozen river.

2011-02-10T13:00:00.001-06:00

Bethel, AK ~ 2011 Artist-in-community

Heatherlyn

Heatherlyn on Destination Bethel, Alaska ~ 02.07.2011

2011-02-07T09:54:00.001-06:00

We're delighted that our friends in Bethel, Alaska saw how beautifully the heartbeat of our music fits with their mission to creatively address local hunger. Kids in the Kitchen is totally rockin' and we can't wait to tell you more about the community when we get there....

:: PRESS RELEASE :: Check out their local paper article from the Tundra Drums.

:: THE ON-GOING PARTNERSHIP STORY HAPPENS HERE ::

HEATHERLYN MUSIC on FACEBOOK
HEATHERLYN'S TWITTER
HEATHERLYN'S POSTEROUS

:: FACEBOOK EVENT INVITES ::

BETHEL CONCERT ~ SAT FEB 12th
ANCHORAGE CONCERT ~ TUES FEB 15th

I Believe in Love...

2011-02-03T12:32:00.001-06:00

Love...so many ways to think about love. So many meanings to love. So many ways to love and be loved. Every moment a time to consider how we can be open to love and act in love.

With Valentine's Day coming and hardly avoidable if you walk outside or tune into any sort of media, there's all kinds of heartache and romance, cheesy gestures of interest and grandiose expressions of devotion. However you experience the 'holiday', there certainly seems to be an inexhaustibleness to the vastness of love itself. The depth and breath of discovery and possibility for LOVE, itself, must be endless. Love...expressed in kindness, friendship, hopeful responsibility for humankind, compassionate action toward a fellow traveler..Love is what transforms our lives and heals our world.

There are also many ways to sing this song, written by Jonathan Larson. It's originally part of a musical (RENT) and sung in chorus by about a dozen people it seems. So here's a raw take on the five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes that we all have in a year to speak love, receive love, open ourselves to love, grow love, do love, be love....

Enjoy and take care in this crazy month of February.

Beneath the blue. Beneath the gray. Through the calm and in the fray, may all seasons be...

Note on Timing :: Why we need to finish soon!

2010-10-01T15:25:00.008-06:00

Besides that fact that we all can't wait to hear what this work of art sounds like and would really love to have these songs on our music-playing devises ASAP; it also seems like the perfect timing to release this coming spring as it is in sync with the current trends of music releases.

For example, Robert Plant just released Band of Joy, an album that surprisingly has a really similar vibe to the record we are working on and, within a week, is was already charting in the top 15 on the Billboard 200! Of course, Robert Plant's fame can't be underscored in this success, but still! =)

We did not head in this direction to copy or be up with the trends. This is naturally our true direction and simply what we see happening. We think it's kinda cool and perhaps a sign that this album has a lot of potential to be all the rage! Your pre-order or donation can help us catch this wave!

Music reviewers are looking for albums to review in the earlier part of the year (a down time for major label releases); whereas another time of year, our small independent project might get lost in the shuffle of bigger names. And we really really don't want to wait another whole entire year to release this! We need to send the completed album to them in EARLY DECEMBER!!

To meet this goal, we need to complete vocal tracking, additional instrumentation, mixing, mastering and replication and packaging by the END OF NOVEMBER!

We need your help to do this! It will take $5,000 in pre-orders and/or donations to support the project as soon as possible.

Pre-pay for your digital download card ($15)...
or autographed CD ($20)...
or One of Each for $30 (that's a deal!)...
...NOW to help us successfully release on time!

Consider partnering with us and supporting the project further
if you feel so moved.

Visit our orange Community page at www.heatherlynmusic.com
to pre-pay and donate.

Thanks again for considering! Peace and Love.

Heatherlyn Drum Session

2010-10-01T14:55:00.000-06:00

Pre-paid CD Orders & Partnership are Needed to Complete the Record Project in Time.

2010-10-01T14:33:00.007-06:00

We are so happy with the progress made thus far on the recording project. We could not be more grateful as we have been able to get this far only because of the generous partnership of our supporters whether through pre-paid CD orders or donations.

Thus far, we have been able to pay as we go and we currently have enough funds to get us through adding my vocals, but there's still some instrumentation to be added, mixing, then mastering and finally, earth-friendly replication and packaging costs.

For a successful release in the early spring of 2011, which is our hope, (more coming on why) we need to complete all of this work and get it packaged in the next 6-8 weeks so we can send it out for press releases, magazine and radio reviews, etc.

We believe the investment in the quality of this project will broaden our reach and ultimately create more opportunity for the community building work that we've been doing. As independent artists still gaining ground, we depend on the support of those who believe in what we're doing.

We are so grateful for each and every contribution which has ranged from $8 to $1,000 and every amount in between. We consider each and every contribution generous. Each pre-order and donation carries a personal connection.

We're asking any others of you who may be moved:

Consider simply pre-paying for you copy of the new CD.
Or Consider backing the project further if you're able.

Visit our orange Community page
on www.heatherlynmusic.com.
And thank you for considering.

Enjoy the beautiful Photo Galleries of our work in the studio so far.

Check out some Video of our work in the studio so far.

Also, feel free to email me at heatherlyn@heatherlynmusic.com, if you have any questions.

Big Love and Gratitude,
Heatherlyn

The Full Story :: The day I turned 30 & had one of the most memorable shows ever.

2010-09-30T21:52:00.012-06:00

Sometimes it takes me a little longer to figure out how to share about a happening that ended up being extra special and significant to me.

Last Friday night (the Sept 24th Show and my 30th birthday) is one of those.

LEADING UP TO THE NIGHT
We had some nervousness about the risks we were taking with this show leading up to it. I scheduled it because it was the only thing I wanted to do on my 30th birthday. We rarely hire a band to work with us on a production and that's one thing that surely makes me feel completely alive. Also since it was a significant birthday, mom was coming into town from half way across the country. This was the first time I'd seen her in person since the debut album release in April of 2008.

I wanted to make the most of my time with her, but I also wanted to share as much of my music life (introduce my music-making compatriots, communities we work within, songs she's never heard live) with her as possible and needed to do the work for it all to go well. I felt spread a little thin, was quite stressed leading up to that week and my immune system was totally weakened by all that.

That week, though, my mom sought to reassure me that I didn't need to worry about her and she was amazingly supportive and flexible. Jason and I reminded ourselves that anything worth doing also required taking big risks and all of our life is one big risk anyway. Why should this one night be any different?

It was good to to hear some buzz building about the show a few days prior and hear that even folks who hadn't been to one our our presentations in a long while would being showing up.

The guys came over that week and totally brought their A-game to rehearsal.

That morning I woke up feeling absolutely miserable but luckily, I had given myself some time that day to mentally and physically prepare for the big night.

THE NIGHT ITSELF
The night itself rocked beyond my imagination. Long time friends and new fans packed the listening room at The Beat in Uptown of Minneapolis. Their presence carried a lot of love.

The Brighton, our good friend Ben Rosenbush, who also plays cello with me, warmed up the crowd with a lovely opening set.

Jason, my husband - who usually remains unseen and in the background running lights, sound, imagery projection or cameras - surprised and delighted us all by approaching the microphone to give a rather humorous yet sincere plug for The Brighton album and then he gave me the sweetest introduction I've ever received in my life!

Ben (cello), Alex (drums/percussion) and Zach (bass) did an amazing job and their energy totally inspired me. Also, one of the advantages of being an extrovert is that on days I'm feeling low energy, simply having people arrive begins to make me feel better. It felt awesome to play each song and I sang my heart out for the crowded room.

It really was a great production...you might have heard that it was a coffeehouse and not realized that it was a performance space with lights and projection.

What did we project? Jason's photography and we also introduced the first original photo greeting card for sale. There will be sets of greeting cards made available soon, but we began with the photo Jason took in Phoenix that accompanies the song Welcome to the Masquerade.

Julia Dinsmore; friend, storyteller, artist and social change maker shared her story and a couple poems. She delivered a compelling presentation with refreshing honesty, humor and personal insight into poverty and homelessness. One of her poems is performed by Danny Glover in this video. We gave away her book along with a couple other things. She shared a bit about the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless following my songs Wayfaring Stranger, Jack Riddle and Invitation to the Unlikely. We're sending the Coalition a check for over 10% of the door/cover charge and merch sales that night. Julia has always been so encouraging to us and we are so glad she honored us with her presence.

That night I also performed one of the verses on Home with You Continues that will be recorded on the forthcoming album. It's the verse inspired by the community we met in a tent city in Seattle and the story we heard of a couple who met in a tent city and whose lives were transformed by the love they found in one another.

We recognized other September babies in the room, my own mom included, but Ben and Alex surprised me by leading everyone in singing Happy Birthday to me with a delightful, spontaneous duo on the cello, which Ben played more like an upright bass, and the drums. That sweet moment still makes me smile.

The night I turned 30 felt like a true celebration of life, love, genuine community, good cause and the art and soul of music all come together in one place. Everyone who came was so kind and responded with a standing ovation at the finale.

I'm grateful for my mom's presence, my sweet husband, my brothers who so wonderfully made music with me and for all of you who chose to spend the evening with us.

Thank you for being part of making it what I believe may be one of the most personally meaningful shows of my life so far.

Big love and gratitude.

Peace to you and yours always.

Defining Music?

2010-09-30T12:59:00.003-06:00

I do very much enjoy this definition provided by an old dictionary I saw in the Library Recording Studio (where we are working on the forthcoming album).

But I began to wonder and got curious about others thoughts too:

Is music really definable?

If it is, is my experience with it really describable?

Is the value of "good" music really quantifiable?

What makes some music good and some not? Seems like part of the answer would be entirely objective and the other, entirely subjective. How much does artistry, creativity and expression, precision, mastering of an instrument... matter in this?

Feel free to chime in through the comments here or leave a note on my facebook wall.

Rhythm and melody...I love to imagine initial tones and beats in the air and I wonder about those who continued to explore those sonic vibes and create instruments.

Here's a song I really enjoy called Voice and Drum by artist Nati Rosethal.

Beauty, Community, Mutuality, Receptivity....

2010-09-29T09:30:00.005-06:00

This summer, we've had the delightful opportunity to partner with Public Arts St. Paul and local photographer Wing Young Huie through the University Avenue Project.

The relationship began when they chose to include Welcome to the Masquerade in the soundtrack that accompanies the photo projection show of Wing's collection of images portraying people from neighborhoods connected by University Avenue - six miles of it that runs through Minneapolis and Saint Paul

We were part of their first monthly cabaret and we participated again this past weekend. This month, between my two sets of songs; Jason, my mom (who was visiting from out of town) and I enjoyed the music of a couple of other local performers and even a group dance lesson.

This project is amazing in so many ways. Voices that are often ignored are being amplified. Stories from undervalued cultures and classes are being told in a fresh and meaningful way.

I've said before that my favorite moments are when I get to see someone be their true selves, allowing their unique light to shine and freely sharing their gifts and skills on behalf of others to enrich and build community. This project -- with Wing's photography, the partnerships created and the community involvement -- is an incredible example of this.

If you live near the Twin Cities or are visiting before the project ends in October, be sure to visit University Avenue. Even simply driving it, you'll see painted murals of Wing's photos on the sides of buildings and large prints hung in storefront windows. More ways to connect at their website above.

May we all be conduits of peace and hope, equality to mutuality, respect and collaboration. May our eyes be opened to the beauty in the various cultures right next store.

Toni :: A Story of Abundance and Connection

2010-09-06T13:28:00.003-06:00

It was a hot and humid summer evening in Minneapolis on University Ave, so we were glad our gig was inside an air conditioned venue. I rarely do coffee shop gigs at this point, since they really don't help pay the bills but we were available to do this and thought it would be fun. The space was fairly bare in terms of audience. But Toni was there, selling her hand-crafted, beaded jewelry, which was intricately detailed and beautifully unique. I was really drawn in by the colors and immediately marveled especially at the turtle earrings that hung from her display.

Jason and I set up our equipment. A couple of our friends came along with the sporadic customer just passing through to pick up some coffee. I simply enjoyed the time to sing in a really beautiful space with great acoustics. As usual, I talked in a personable fashion with the handful of people there and Toni was quite open, expressive.

She was on a bit of a high because the local news had come through and interviewed her on what the traffic passing by the coffee shop was like due to rerouting from Highway 94 to the Avenue. She had clearly enjoyed the camera and between songs, she shared tidbits more of her story - how she had once traveled and played guitar but now plays the native flute. She’s self taught but inspired by her Native American father. She has lived on the streets at one point and man, she was digging the songs I sang.She seemed deeply moved by the music and shared: "If I had money, I'd buy a CD." I asked from behind my microphone if she'd like to trade. I had to keep playing, but Jason talked with her before she needed to go. She remembered I was admiring her turtle earrings and told Jason: "I want her to have the whole set". She handed him the earrings AND a necklace.

She hugged me before leaving and it was another moment of deep, genuine human connection, one of those profound moments that makes me marvel, one of those moments when two stranger simultaneously realize they are both a part of the same human family.

I did not know what she exchanged with Jason until after the show and I was blown away, so moved that she would give such a beautifully intricate, hand-crafted gift in exchange for the gift she received through the LIVE music and the CD.

In Native American culture, the turtle represents a long and beautiful life. I wish that for her and for all of us: a long and beautiful life that we can all be part of creating for one another as we are open, attentive and willing to let a stranger become a friend.

I love LIVE Radio!

2010-09-06T13:12:00.002-06:00

LIVE radio, podcasts, TV interviews, media in general...I just love them! I've been interviewed on KUMD radio in Duluth, MN; KARE 11's Minnesota Showcase and a few others. Yesterday, I had the delight and honor of hanging with the Doug Pagitt Radio Show crew at the Minnesota State Fair, airing LIVE on AM 950. Here's one of the segments (the link will include more segments that can check out). We really had a blast! This segment features the song "We Have a Dream" which is written in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum. Good times!

Inspiration?

2010-09-06T13:00:00.000-06:00

People often ask: "What inspires you?" I was just thinking: Human connection, unexpected, rich encounters with others and the desire for deeper, truer connection among all people, even people of variance, which ultimately lead to friendships of mutual good and partnerships in peace...that inspires the heck out of me. =)

VOLUNTEERING :: Be Ready...Unexpected Gifts of Beauty + Connection

2010-08-01T07:55:00.005-06:00

A couple weeks ago, on a Monday evening, we met up with some friends in Minneapolis to serve a cook-out dinner at the Clare Housing’s Clare Apartments, a place where fellow travelers living with HIV and AIDS are able to belong in community, live in affordable housing and receive supportive services.

Jason and I have a sort of mantra to keep ourselves focused in life and in our work. It is simply this: Be Authentic. Be Available. Be Audacious. (Or Be Real. Be Ready. Be Brave.) In the spirit of being available and ready to share our gifts - though we were at Clare Housing to volunteer - this was not a gig and we did not plan to take photos or share song - we were ready with the guitar, our small PA and camera.

When we were having conversation during our volunteer orientation, I inquired about the life of music and arts at the Clare Housing. I was curious since music and art are so enriching and healing - both to the body and the soul. A staff person shared that these are very much valued but not easily accessed there. So it seemed appropriate to ask a staff person if sharing song would be a welcome and helpful thing that evening. They were excited to have us bring out the guitar and set up alongside the large gas grill on the cement patio outside.

It was a beautiful evening. Residents and our other volunteering friends gathered on the patio and the lawn. We learned each others names, talked about about music and family and life. Grandchildren of one resident were there, so youth and children were playing games on the lawn. I went ahead and sang some songs.

Following Invitation to the Unlikely, a kind and gentle man, dressed in the robes of a Buddhist monk, turned his face and his wheelchair toward me. He ever-so-sweetly asked if I had written that song and shared that it was deeply moving to him. He had "never heard anything like it". We shared a deep sense of human and spiritual connection in that moment that I will never forget. His gentle presence came from more than his soft voice, which he is losing as he lives with failing health. He shared that he would eventually be completely paralyzed and that broke my heart. He told me he became a Buddhist monk after seeing so much trauma and terror in the world, he wanted to relate to every single person in a spiritual way. It is profound to me that this Buddhist man found such deep comfort and resonance with the words of Invitation to the Unlikely - which are directly inspired by a story that Jesus told in the Gospel of Luke, chap. 14 - a story of many various unlikely guests ("hungry, wounded...") gathered around a table and sharing a meal - really a story that came to life that evening as children played, as we ate together there, as we enjoyed the gift of music ...together.

In being present and listening, we received the simplest and more beautiful gift of genuine connection. These moments can be so easily overlooked. I hope we will all be unafraid to learn from others, from friends, from strangers, from strange friends ;-) ...and I know healing both personally and communally will happen more often as we simply, deeply and compassionately listen, sit together, truly BE together.

Many living with AIDS and HIV lose their support system and frequently face other challenges in terms of a housing crisis and need help with their medications. If you live in the Twin Cities area, do check out the Clare Housing website and consider volunteering – www.clarehousing.org. Or just visit their home-on-the-web to learn and listen to how you may respond wherever you are.

Unhoused Neighbors ~ unexpected, remarkable encounter; Seattle, Pacific Northwest Tour

2010-05-24T10:03:00.002-06:00

Ben Harper has a song called Blessed to Be a Witness. And we are blessed, as we travel, to encounter some of the most fascinating people, and share in deeply rich conversation. We get to be witnesses of movements of hope, compassion and goodness. We have the privilege of hearing those stories and sometimes even getting invited to participate in those movements through song.

On our most recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, we met for coffee and listened to the story of our new friend, Dustin Cross, who is a life-traveling companion alongside the community of unhoused in Seattle. Dustin began his journey with open eyes and an open heart, ready to learn and be aware of what was happening around him on the streets of Seattle. He determined to get to know the city and believed he could do that best by LISTENING, especially to "the baristas, the bums, and the bartenders" ~ the people who know their city best. So he became a bouncer at a bar and spent as much time as he could asking people this one question: "If there was one thing you could do to make your city a better place, what would it be?" He told us that out of 300 people with whom he spoke and asked this question, 250 of them answered: "If I could only get someone to hear my story."

Dustin spends his days and nights in mutual relationship with the perpetually relocating "residents" of Nicklesville, marrying, burying, listening, learning, being a friend, being an advocate where necessary. The day we met him, he was working on getting a couple of ladies some shelter. At least, one of them was pregnant.

Dustin invited us to join the Nickelsville's weekly community gathering around the campfire. We went, guitar in hand, and signed in as visitors per the community's own internal security policy. The strict rules for people to stay within the tent village, such as no drug or alcohol abuse and no violence, are regulated by self-goverance and communal accountability.

In the drizzly dusk, several men, women and children casually gathered around the campfire and we did music unplugged. A couple gentlemen passed around a djembe and an adorable curly-haired boy with glasses sat next to me, bongos between his knees, and struck them in rhythm to my strum.

After playing guitar and singing a few songs, I talked with several folks. A really nice couple asked about our travels and when I shared about the trip to Arizona, they were curious if we stopped by the Grand Canyon because the gentleman had worked on the new Grand Canyon overlook and they had stories to tell! They went on to share more about their own lives and about Nicklesville, how they have to relocate every 90 days and that people will walk by their current location and shout insults at them like "Get a job!". The gentleman remarked that he has a full-time job, and with a sort of ironic humor, said that they should at least shout something like "Get a house!", since THAT'S at least obviously relevant! I could see this man was genuine, sincerely hard-working and I could hear from his story (with a very dignified tone, not a sorry-for-myself tone) that he may sometimes feel dismissed, judged and underestimated.

Thank you to our new friends for trusting and welcoming us warmly to their tent city. And thanks to Dustin for sharing his passion to authentically connect and lead us all into solidarity - the unhoused and housed together; for being an example of a true and faithful friend, a consistent listening ear, open to reciprocity and mutuality as we all grow together as helpful, hopeful presences in our community and world. Learn more about Dustin's work and the work of One 4 One at www.joinone4one.org.

From a 2nd Grade Teacher in Montana

2010-05-24T08:24:00.002-06:00

Jessica Burgard posted this on the Heatherlyn Music facebook page. Thank you for the encouragement, Jessica! It's humbling to know we could be a small part of the your on-going work.

"Ah, so I was going to tell you. My class was discussing wetlands and the water cycle today and how everything is connected. Somehow they got off on the topic of people who don't have enough around the world. I let them develop that idea a little bit and them played them your song (I can't even remember the name, but ...it has to do with water). It really resonnated with them adn afterwards they started quoting phrases from it and brainstorming how they could change those situations. Thanks for touching the lives of 2nd-graders! :)"

Thanks to all teachers who are guiding the imaginations of students to dream and believe they can change their world and empowering them to do so!

Roosevelt High School ~ Portland, OR :: May 2010 Pacific Northwest Tour

2010-05-18T09:23:00.006-06:00

A teacher of Roosevelt High came to the show we did on Alberta Street in Portland. I'm so glad that in that context he had the imagination to invite us to spend time with the students at his school. He invited us to present story and songs for the students during first period in their choir room the following Wednesday morning. He believed, because of my own story (born fatherless, raised by a single mom and the accompanying challenges) AND value of authentic connection, there would likely be some resonance for the students.

This student body portrays giftedness, initiative and care beyond themselves. The community is vibrant with diversity, culture and creativity. And even though there are significant, ongoing economic injustices and challenges in this neighborhood, I saw posters created by students inviting all to attend a benefit concert hosted by student performers to benefit Haiti, "the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere".

Though Roosevelt High School is a public school, the open campus policy of Oregon allows students and their families to choose which high school to attend. When this policy was enacted, those with more resources of transportation or what-have-you left Roosevelt High School, in the St. John's neighborhood, which tends to be underfunded and put in last place for resources to upgrade facilities, etc. There is a lot of school pride and community pride, but the garbage along the walls of the choir room along with the ants crawling in the water fountain told me that morale might some days tend to be low. Meeting the Roosevelt High students was enjoyable.

I shared with the students that I was glad to be there because I believe that all of us - you and I, we are stars. We all have a unique gift and light to shine, to be channels of goodness and positive change in our world, and it's important to me to see that young people remember this is true for them.

The students and teachers were very welcoming and gracious to both Jason and I as we came into their space, met them and presented. During the Q & A time, someone simply asked how I liked Portland and I said, "I really enjoy Portland. I'm a vegetarian, so this is really working for me. Portland seems very hospitable." One student blurted out: "Hospitable!?! We're family!" Me: "Nice, I like that." :-)

One student, sweet and sincere, approached me afterward, struggling to speak to me through his stutter. I so deeply appreciated his efforts and success - asking for a photo, saying "Thank you" and presenting me with orange and green guitar pics that he had with him but "doesn't use very much". I gave him a red one since he didn't have that color in his hand.

A gal with big eyes and soft curly hair in a side ponytail told me that she and her cousin share a dream to begin a music and drama program along with a community theatre on the Hawaiian Island where she was born. She said there currently are no such programs. She and her cousin would like to introduce more instruments to supplement the drums and ukulele. This is a dream I hope she will keep alive!

We learned that some students are involved in a Civil Rights class where they're working with local artists to write poetry - their "Deep Roots" collection - expressing what they are learning and feeling about civil rights. They are headed off on a civil rights trip to Selma, Birmingham and Montgomery to continue learning and also will be visiting colleges. This has already, in previous trips, ignited the imagination of students for possibilities beyond their current circumstances.

I'm thankful for the teachers and volunteers we met who truly care about these students and who are doing their best to empower and enrich their lives. I hope someone with the political power and resources begins to pay attention to the beauty and potential of these incredible young people.

As we were packing up, I joined the choir in some of their vocal exercises, and on the way out a girl said to me, "It's really cool that you came today. I hope you come back next year." I replied, "I hope so too. I'd like that."

The following weekend, we returned to Roosevelt High School for their Inspirations Week and Deep Roots CD release party. Students who wrote poetry and spoken word about civil rights and local artist who put some of those lyrics to music shared the stage to perform, present and lift their voices. We were welcomed to share in this celebration and witness further the students creative initiative and how they inspire community involvement.

MORE PHOTOS on our SMUG MUG GALLERY.

Peace Jam. Laureate. To Red Wing Correction Facility.

2010-05-05T08:31:00.004-06:00

This weekend (April 23-26) was Peace Jam for the Upper Mid West. Youth from the region gathered in Minneapolis at the U and at Green Central Gym to celebrate service learning they have participated in all year. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, journeyed from Guatemala to celebrate with these young people, to speak and share a dream of healing and reconciliation especially in communities torn by racism and violence. This is important to Rigoberta because of her own journey through the 30 years uprising in Guatemala that allowed for torture, abuse, rape and genocide of her Mayan people. She lost her father, mather and brother in the war and through all the trauma and trouble, she determined to be a voice for the forgotten and perpetually pushed-aside poor.

Saturday night, at the Cultural Celebration, there was traditional Mayan dance and performances by youthrive LIVE! artists, myself included. Thanks to local hip-hop artist Mike Dreams for capturing this moment...the very end is my favorite part.

Monday, we spent a few hours with Rigoberta at the Red Wing Correctional Facility in Red Wing, MN for a Day of Peace, essentially bringing Peace Jam to the young men residing there. She presented in the morning and after workshops and lunch, she shared closing remarks, and Youthrive LIVE! artists performed for the residents at the Facility. I opened with Bob Marley's Redemption Song and went into my new version of Dreams, now called We Have a Dream. Rigoberta says one of the things she values most in life is being able to dream. Because in the darkest time, she could dream of a brighter and more hopeful future. So everyone snapped their fingers as I slapped the guitar strings and we all sang to Rigoberta in gratitude: "We, oh we have a dream, and we'll make it, make it come true, oh me and you."

It was truly an honor to have met her and I'm so grateful for these beautiful moments of redemption, peace and big imagination for the brighter and more hopeful future we can create and share together.

MORE PHOTOS FROM PEACE JAM at the PHOTO GALLERY!

ON THE ROAD :: Connecting Deeper into the Community - Portland, OR

2010-05-03T23:41:00.006-06:00

MAY 1-5, 2010 :: We are currently on the road, enjoying the people and places of Portland, OR. Lots of connecting and discovering possibilities for future tour visits (networking & scouting in business terms). Had a great show at Enter Being on Alberta Street Saturday night, got to sing with one of my best friends, Melissa who wrote Jack Riddle, that song I've been singing a lot lately. =)

We are learning more about the history, the back story if you will behind the different neighborhoods of Portland. We are listening and learning from our friend who works at the University of Portland about their work with students in civil rights and service learning.

Wednesday, this morning, as I write, we are getting ready to visit the students and teachers of Roosevelt High School, a place that has often gotten the short end of the stick in terms of resources and support. I'm looking forward to spending time with these young people who are facing many challenges in their lives. Many are pressing on in the midst of poverty and lack of parental involvement - not because their parents don't care, but because, for example, a single mom may be working 3 jobs just to get bills paid and get some food on the table.

High School was one of the most difficult times of my life. I'm thankful for teachers and grown up friends who cared. I look forward to sharing my story and music with them and hearing their voices sing along!

Every young person, every student is a STAR. I hope each student in that choir room today will be enCOURAGEd, inspired to shine on with that unique light and gift they have been given to be a channel of goodness and hopeful change in their school, on their sports teams, in their neighborhoods and far beyond!

Birds and Blossoms

2010-04-23T08:44:00.003-06:00

Spring makes me feel like I'm coming back to life! I sat outside while nourishing myself with oats and an apple for breakfast yesterday morning. The birds were singing like they were having a big party. And I just sat there absorbing sun rays and birdsong ~ along with a heart-healthy dose of dietary fiber =) ~ noticing how tall and brilliantly green the trees in our neighborhood are, how beautiful the apple blossom tree in our yard is, just sort of stunned at the transformation around our home.

This simple sketch is just one of many reflections I've had on spring and this season of my life, being drawn the consider the example of - the carefree nature, simplicity, beauty and fearlessness of the birds and the blossoms.

Before coloring it in, I realized I wanted to make a copy of it and share it with others. Coloring itself is carefree, simple and beautiful - something you may want to do alone or with some children in your life. =) I hope you enjoy!

Happy Spring!

I-35 :: Texas, SXSW...

2010-04-21T20:25:00.004-06:00

Jason and I journeyed south on I-35 all the way to Texas in our trusty van outfitted with navy blue curtains Jason sewed himself and equipped with a futon mattress atop a wooden frame he crafted for the back! My husband is a Renaissance man!

We were able to visit the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Fest in Austin, TX. I presented a set of songs at what we called the South By Southeast Showcase since it was located at a sweet venue called Space 12 on the East side of the highway. The Netzer Co-op hosted the showcase. They are cool and introduced us to a very cool veg-friendly local restaurant where we enjoyed amazing conversation and delish food!

We also really enjoyed the performance of Hey Marseilles. Jason gave this 7 person band a ride to their next gig in the van! =) Good times.

The next day, we drove down to San Antonio where a pretty incredibly cool family of 6 hosted us for a house concert. All the kids had their own roles. The 3 girls found chalk and drew beautiful welcome messages all along the walkway to the door. They even choreographed bowing motions and rehearsed what they would say to welcome guests! Neighbors, colleagues and friends - many who didn't know each other - were invited to come enjoy music and stories in the living room of their home. We really enjoyed the variety of people in the audience and appreciated the warm reception.

This house concert host was Paul Soupiset a really gifted artist and designer who we admire and also like. Check out his work!

We also met Paul from Beloved Virus, who gifted me a really cool t-shirt with flying birds on it. Many of you know how significant the symbolism of the songbird flying freely is to me. ;-)

In Dallas, we were able to visit, The Bridge, an impressive complex assisting the street-dwelling community of Dallas. Emergency shelter, job assistance, daily lunch served in a clean cafeteria - these were some of the services we witnessed as we toured the facility. I sang for this community for about an hour and was thoroughly delighted by their presence and responsiveness. A tall black man in a white suit coat and a red tie sat to my left, bobbing his head, saying "amen", and playing the air-bass guitar nearly the entire time. Another gentleman totally got his groove on in a space that could've been the dance floor if others decided to join. We saw tired, weary eyes sparkle and the corners of mouths turn up with appreciative smiles. My chest always carries a little apprehension when we go into a new environment like this, but everyone was so respectful and kind. Thanks to our new friend, Jon, for introducing us to this community and providing the opportunity to connect with The Bridge community.

Heatherlyn Portraits by the Little Hands of Young Artists

2010-03-04T19:39:00.011-06:00

One of my favorite things is to have a sweet little gal come up to me after a family presentation with a smile, a gleam in her eyes and a gift in her hands that is so special...an original work of art! Man, this just tugs at my heart like nothing else. These are the priceless, unexpected rewards of our work! I hope these young, bright and gifted artists will never shy away from the drawing pencil or the colored crayon and even if their journey and passion leads them to a different form of vocation, I hope they will always know that they are co-creators, and any work they do, any hobby they pursue, they can be conduits of genuine beauty and life to all in their world. Thanks to fans of all ages for giving encouragement and support!

Prodigal's Home :: Sunrise on a Saturday, Valentine's Eve

2010-03-01T13:35:00.003-06:00

This morning we saw the sunrise as we made our way on Highway 101 to Prodigal's Home where sausage and pancakes are served up on behalf of homeless and homed alike, sharing breakfast together around many round tables on the big green lawn. Loco played his electric flute as people gathered and a blue bus came and went in two shifts to gather men and women living on the streets to share in this meal and a time of genuine community.

After a "grace" was said and sausage was served, I began to play songs that I could have only hoped would connect with an audience I've never shared life with in any other capacity. They welcomed me warmly, though, and seemed excited, surprised and even valued to have an artist come 2,000 miles from Minneapolis to share a gift of song with them. They clapped, smiled, gave thumbs up in appreciation. I was told they don't always do this.

They sang along between bites of pancake and toothless gums to traditional tunes Down by the Riverside and Amazing Grace. A woman who suffers from mental illness stood on the periphery with a beaming smile, eyes closed, head slightly tilted to the side, swaying back and forth to the rhythms. She seemed soothed and thoroughly delighted.

A wooden box nearby was for their quarters, dimes, pennies. None of the collection goes back to paying for the Prodigal's Home maple syrup, coffee or eggs. Last year, this community of men and women with little or no jobs and possibly no safe or comfortable place to lay their heads at night, collectively gave $5,000 for a cause entirely beyond themselves in Belarus. When the announcement about this was being made, they were on the edge of their seats and they clapped and cheered. We saw the dignity, hope, a sense of purpose and a sense that ALL can make a difference in our world.

In this time where some of the most unlikely dining companions all had a place of honor at the table, where songs were sung, mutual service and love where shared, I felt like I saw the sunrise again in the tired, worn eyes that surrounded me and I felt it rise among us from deep within our hearts.

Heatherlyn Music: 2010 Winter Southwest Tour!! - Summary

2010-03-01T12:54:00.015-06:00

Wednesday and Thursday ~ Set out from Minneapolis and drove for 2 days....

FRIDAY (Jan. 29th)~ Arrived in beautiful Boulder Friday afternoon. I was SO grateful that our host lived right by a jog/walk path along the creek under the Rocky Mountains! I immediately went for a brisk walk and jog to get the blood flowing in my body again.

Friday night "House Concert" on the Colorado University Campus with all kinds of unexpected folks who saw a post about the show on a local arts listing ~ "Anna's List". We streamed the concert LIVE over Ustream and I received a really cool note from a gal who was watching from MN. I was humbled by how so deeply moved she was across the miles.

SATURDAY night in Littleton, CO doing a benefit concert for Haiti with The EDGE Colorado Community. And SUNDAY morning worship that weekend as well. Heatherlyn presented a couple songs and also lead in singing together. It was beautiful to see this community care about the issues facing children and all people of world and respond with lives of compassion.

Our gracious hosts introduced us to a fantastic India restaurant called Yak and Yetti! Incredibly enjoyable!

SUNDAY NIGHT - back to the CU campus for the Wesley House evening of worship led by students.

MON - WED (Feb. 1-3) ~ networking, meetings with folks in area, ground work for the next trip to CO and resting to recover from a bad cold. Jason hung out with our very cool host and did some brainstorming/consulting with him on continuing to grow in making the Wesley House a place of wide welcome and community building as well as communicating effectively with students on campus.

THURS & FRI ~ Driving...driving...driving...through Colorado to New Mexico where we had the worst and most hilarious hotel experience of our lives! Then onto Phoenix where the sun shines bright!

We met our gracious host who offered us fresh oranges from his backyard and fresh grapefruit from his neighbor's trees. It was the most amazing citrus I've EVER had...so fresh and sweet! You would think it would've kicked my cold!

SATURDAY, FEB 6th - connected with Jose, the Pastor at Alleluia Lutheran community and tried to find a cheap clinic. I was getting pressure in my ear...

SUNDAY, FEB 7th ~ All morning with the good people of Alleluia Lutheran in Avondale, AZ. I shared some original songs and led singing with my guitar - some traditional liturgical pieces that were new to me. I actually had to work pretty hard to keep up with the very energetic pace of this vibrant, welcoming community!

Sunday afternoon and Monday ~ I totally tanked. Once the servives were over, my voice began to go as I talked with people at the CD table...cold was turning into sinus infection...so I watched old episodes of WKRP Cincinnati on hulu.com, slept, took copious amounts of ibuprophen and "neti-potted" the heck out of my sinues.

TUESDAY ~ finally went to a decent clinic for a diagnosis because I was afraid I might be getting an ear infection...got meds, slept more.

WEDNESDAY, FEB 10th ~ We spent time with the Jr. and Sr. high students and their parents at New Covenant Lutheran in Scottsdale, AZ (completely the other side of Phoenix). These young people were so cool. I enjoyed getting to know them just a bit, sharing that time with them and feeling the love in return. They were great and I could tell they had fun and their brains were working too!

THURSDAY ~ for me...practice, practice, practice, writing, emailing...Jason worked with the Youth and Family Director of New Covenant to reset the Sanctuary space to facilitate an even more communal experience. It was really cool and well received by all who came that weekend. Jason's really good at this stuff and making it happen!

FRIDAY, FEB 12th ~

...coffee with another new friend and partner in the work of hopeacequity...

...THEN buzzed over to Avondale to sing unplugged, playing guitar in the center aisle between two sides of the room at Alleluia's Valentine Dinner... so fun! Home with You, choose-you-own-adventure style and Dreams, which we sang all together and then each to a spouse, friend, child...During Home with You a little boy walked up beside me and I bent down and sang "I'd be at home with you, Baby, yeah..." to him...it was one of the most adorable moments I've ever had in the middle of a song!

...THEN we went back to Glendale for a house concert in the beautiful home of our host at the foothills of the Arrowhead Mountain Range.

SATURDAY, FEB 13th ~ This day deserves a post all it's own. Check out: Prodigal's Home ~ The Sunrise on Saturday, Valentine's Eve.

SUN, FEB 14th (Valentine's Day) ~ New Covenant Lutheran in Scottsdale, AZ...led some old hymns with a rockin' rhythm guitar, presented Invitation to the Unlikely through tears after Todd talked about how and why he and his wife, Andria, are moving to work in an orphanage in Rwanda.

That evening, Jason and I went for a little hike up a small mountain and watched the sunset...cost us nothing and was one of our sweetest Valentine's Days. We were together, away from home, but at home with each other doing what we love.

Monday ~ One more day in Phoenix. Recovering from the wonderful but exhausting weekend...visiting more with new friends...packing up.

Tuesday ~ Driving...through Arizona to New Mexico...this time we didn't have to stay in a crummy hotel...the cousin of a friend of ours in Phoenix wasn't even home and she didn't even know us but she had two of her friends meet us and welcome us into her Albuquerque home where we simply stayed for the night...comfortable in a home with a sweet kitty named, Kia. We are so grateful for the hospitality and support of our hosts!

Wednesday ~ we arrived in Evergreen, CO (about 9,000 feet altitude) where we got to reconnect with a family we knew years ago in Minneapolis. Their son is now a young man, 15 in high school and their little girl, who we met as a baby when they brought her home from Russia, is bright-eyed and an aspiring young author! She thought my dreads were "REALLY, SO cool" and she even read to me a bit of her latest story. ;o)

We were going to head out Thursday morning, but decided to stay one more day in the beautiful snowy mountains covered in tall evergreens and I decided to contribute to the local mic night at the Ice House in down town Evergreen. We streamed it live for fun and got to meet some more people who lived there. They were excited about the possibility of a return visit someday and gave us some great ideas for future venues to book a show!

We drove ALL day Friday and into the early morning Saturday to get home where the story continues....

JAN 2010 ~ MLK Celebration and Call to Action

2010-01-20T20:06:00.007-06:00

Here's the invitation extended by the community of Redeemer Lutheran Church, where we got to celebrate Dr. King this past weekend: "Celebration and Call to Action: Join us as we celebrate the life, work and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with music, song and spoken word. Together we will vow to not keep silent, to not rest until the dream of justice and freedom becomes each one of our personal dreams."

We gathered Sunday afternoon in a beautiful dark wood and stain-glassed sanctuary as a truly diverse, integrated and united community. In some ways, our modest gathering epitomized the vision of Dr. King: Black and White presenting together in rhythm and spoken word, singing as one chorus together, break-dancing together, rhyming together. All voices were honored. All belonged.

The deep soulful expression; the rich, rhythmic exuberance and passionate calls for justice that have long characterized the Black American church culture was in full resonance that afternoon. And I, a small, pasty white woman, experienced swells of emotion as song after song and rhyme after poetic rhyme, beat after beat, electronic rhythm and African drum, gospel piano and tambourine, seemed to press and call and draw upon the depth of humanity within us all to never give up until all God's children have joined the dance of justice, freedom, peace and equity.

Only a couple people in this community knew me and I'm honored to have had the opportunity to contribute to this celebration and be so warmly received, welcomed and embraced! When I Dream, Dreams (MLK verse) and Put on Your Climbing Shoes were the song-gifts I had to share with a group of people that gifted me over and over. They were an incredibly responsive crowd, and I'm sure this is the only rendition of Put on Your Climbing Shoes thus far that includes full on singing from the audience, clapping, tambourine and axatse (ah-hatch-ee: a gourd shaker from Ghana)!!

We are excited to have gotten some really great video of the songs Heatherlyn presented and are happy to share them with you! www.youtube.com/heatherlynmusic (or click on the song titles above!)

We are loving house concerts!

2010-01-20T12:21:00.016-06:00

In some parts of the country, a home concert experience is a common thing. It's a natural part of the culture to be invited to enjoy a quality musical experience along with an up-close and personal encounter, with an independent artist in someone's living room. On the artistic corners of Minneapolis, neighbors gather together, appetizers to share and donations to support the artist in hand for these enjoyable community-building evenings. Throughout New England and in sectors of Colorado house concerts circuits are commonplace. Some hosts even have websites and regular concerts series with nationally touring independent artists. L.A. and Austin are other cities with lively house concert scenes.

Here are a couple great experiences we've had with house concerts within the past few months:

DEC 2009 :: Endicottage Christmas Wine & Cheese House Concert

Guests brought wine and treats to share and we celebrated the season through the music by the warm, glowing and real wood fire. We "mad-libbed" a couple Christmas carols together and had a jolly old time. more photos here.

JAN 9th, 2010 :: Prior Lake House Concert

The house concert closed out an afternoon of serving and being community together. The hosts invited guests to one or all of three segments in the day - an hour of packing meals for 1,000's of children in Haiti through the organization Feed My Starving Children followed by a Social Hour and then a concert with Heatherlyn! We served with the audience earlier in the day and got to celebrate through the music! more photos here.

JAN 16th 2010 :: Victory Muse House Concert Series

We enjoyed chocolate covered strawberries made by the gracious hosts of the Victory Muse House Concert Series. The evening honored Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. and dreams. Heatherlyn sang Mindy Smith's "Come to Jesus" for the children of Haiti, recognizing and grieving dreams shattered. Then she dedicated a song celebrating a dream-come-true for a recently published author who was in the audience! Folks sang along in harmony in this comfy and inviting home. more photos here.

Heatherlyn Music would like to bring this really cool experience to more neighborhoods and circles of friends, family and colleagues to the outskirts of the Twin Cities and across the country.

We need YOU to do this!

Here's more about how we can partner together to make this happen!

Thanks for considering!

Staying "Balanced" on the Road

2010-01-19T22:40:00.010-06:00

This post is part of a follow up to the blog Bliss and Sweat ~ a day in the life of heatherlyn music and it's some of what we've prepared to communicate with our road hosts about our nourishment needs. We thought you might be interested in how we seek to balance the bliss and sweat of our traveling work and manage the stresses of being far from home.

You may be even more interested in our HOME RECIPES here, favorites in our family menu. Heatherlyn has been a vegetarian for 10 years and in the past couple years, has gotten pretty good at putting whole, nourishing and delicious foods together. Feel free to use the recipes, ask questions and share them too!

STAYING HEALTHY ON THE ROAD

Living on the road can take it's toll - sleepless nights, working long hours, odd hours, etc. In addition, we pay for all our own health care and really believe it's important for us to be good stewards of our health - the best we can.

Since we are often staying with gracious hosts and invited to partake in meals together, we feel it would relieve a little awkwardness to share these needs sooner than later. ;-) We simply want to communicate as best as we can so you don't feel like we are being big old snobs when we need to catch some shut-eye or if we say "no thank you" to something.

EXERCISE

Heatherlyn seeks to regularly exercise - whether that's pulling out one of her aerobic workout DVDs and finding a space to dance around, finding a walking path or jogging trail or using a hosts stationary bike - she seeks to do this regularly to keep up energy, health and creative brain flow.

REST

We really appreciate the opportunity to enjoy the company of those within the communities we serve as we travel. We love to hear stories but sometimes we really need to excuse ourselves to have some time to ourselves, unwind and get a good night of sleep.

NOURISHMENT & MEALS

Heatherlyn is a vegetarian and also has some heart health related dietary restrictions. She is also careful to keep sugar intake low to keep energy up and the immune system uncompromised. For, Heatherlyn, being a vegetarian means more than eliminating meat. It means being mindful to make choices that are wholesome and nourishing ~ to the earth and to the body. Heatherlyn and Jason regular meal habits consist primarily of whole grains (important for proteins and heart health), legumes (bean & lentils), fresh fruits & vegetables and almond milk. We avoid any and all processed or refined foods, leached of their nutrients.

Heatherlyn needs to keep fats moderate (Doctor says "low fat") and usually gets them from ground flax seed, raw nuts (such as almonds) and canola or olive oils, again, in moderation. So, Egg whites are awesome. The yolks are out.

Dairy if often not the best choice for digestion on the road or for keeping the voice clear, so her preferred source of Calcium is almond milk or soymilk (again, low fat). When HL has dairy products, it's usually fermented dairy products with live active cultures such as kefir in a fruit smoothie or nonfat plain yogurt used in cooking or dips.

Being a vegetarian (for HL) also means beef, chicken or other meat stocks are out. Vegetable stocks are great, but Heatherlyn often cooks with miso paste mixed in water as a nourishing and flavorful soup stock or vegetable stir fry base. Miso is known for it's health-giving properties and is also SO delicious!

We don't expect people to buy special things for us when they host us. But, if you'd did, we'd love to prepare dinner for you, time permitting! We hope that those who hire us to present will also be paying us enough for groceries so, we hope to be visiting your local co-op and cooking for ourselves as much as possible.

THESE FOODS ARE IN! (Examples)

natural whole grains: oats, brown rice, quinoa, kashi. whole wheat flour, whole grain corn meal, etc...

lentils and beans (dry from a co-op bulk section or organic canned)

fresh fruits and veggies (raw, steamed, "saladified", stir-fried, roasted...)

egg whites

plain low fat or non-fat yogurt

omega 3 fats in moderation: flax seed, olive & canola oils, raw nuts and all-natural nut butters

natural hummus

THESE FOODS ARE OUT!

Fast Food - (That's right, even when we're driving, we'd rather stop at a grocery store and pick up pita, hummus, baby carrots and organic apples!)

refined breads and pasta

refined sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup

processed anything

artery-clogging fats, especially hydrogenated oils

meat or meat stocks

egg yolks

butter or anything fried in trans fats

sugar

This is obviously not a comprehensive list, but we're not sure we need to make one.

If you're curious,

here are some of our favorite recipes

and staples in our family menu.

STEEL CUT OATS

1 cup of steel cut oats

4 cups water

dashed of sea salt

Cook for about a 1/2 hour

served with cinnamon, dash of nutmeg, dash of allspice, maybe raisins or fruit and a bit of almond milk

no butter please

(or just plain old oatmeal)

SPICY TOMATO LENTILS

This one's so easy!

1 cup of dry brown or green lentils

1 can of Organic Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies

Rinse the lentils and combine in pot with can of tomatoes. Add water as needed. Simmer for about 30 min. Taste test and add water as needed.

Spicy Tomato Lentils are great served with whole grain pasta, corn bread (below), baked potato or spaghetti squash!

The "I'll-Never-Eat-Another-Kind-of-Cornbread-Again" Cornbread

SERVES 8-16

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal (Course Grind Whole Grain such as Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tblspns of Ground flax seed and 6 Tblspns water (or 4 egg whites)
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt (1 cup of canned pumpkin can also be used!)
1/2 cup whole kernel corn, drained (optional) – I used this. It was nice touch.
dash of nutmeg
sprinkle of cayenne

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Combine in a separate bowl: 2 Tblspns of Ground flax seed and 6 Tblspns water, let it “gell” for 6 minutes before adding to mixture.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.
Stir in yogurt and ground flax mixture. If using, stir in corn.
Pour into 8 inch square pan sprayed with non-stick canola oil cooking spray
Lightly sprinkle top with cayenne
Bake for approximately 20 minutes.
Best served warm.

Great served the following options: 1) agave nectar and almond butter; 2) spicy tomato lentils; 3) homemade guacamole; 4) salsa....

FRESH FRUIT DIP

We usually just enjoy plain fresh fruit, but sometimes it's fun to do a dip like this.

I've especially liked this combo with red grapes and pear slices. Kiwi, berries and lots of other fruits would be great with it I'm sure. MMMmmmm good.

plain non fat yogurt
agave nectar to sweeten
nutmeg to taste

HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE

Avocados

Diced Roma Tomatoes

Chopped Red Onion

Chopped Red Pepper

Juice of Lime or Lemon

Crushed Garlic

Finely chopped cucumber (optional)

Spices: Sea Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Cayenne, Chili Powder (any combo)

Pay attention to the amounts you're adding. Start with a couple avocados and go from there! Taste test!

QUINOA

Qunioa is a power grain, a whole protein by itself.

Brown 1 cup of quinoa in 1 T. of canola oil in a medium pot until it begins to smell like popcorn.

Add 2 cups of water, 1 t. miso paste (optional), spices (optional) and cook for about 20 minutes!

GOOD SALAD STUFF

Spinach or Dark Green Romaine Lettuce

Any Vegetable, like...

Carrots

Cucumber

Tomato

Red or Yellow Pepper

Zucchini

Beets

Peas

Red Onion

Hummus

red wine or balsamic vinegar and olive oil

ANYTIME POTATO WOK

Miso Paste (or veggie broth)

Cubed Red Potato

Any combo of veggies that we have in the fridge, such as...

Cabbage

Carrot

Celery

Turnip

Parsnips

Beets

Brussel Spouts

Summer Squash

Spinach

Zuchini

Crushed Garlic Cove

Chopped Onion

Spices: Curry, Ginger, Sea Salt, Pepper

Stir a spoonful of miso paste in with about a 1/2 cup of hot water, then add to wok full of veggies.

While cooking, check tenderness of veggies and add more water bit by bit if needed.

If using spinach, add it near the end of the cooking time just stir it in until it is just wilted. Then serve it up!

OTHER EXAMPLES OF EASY FOODS

Whole Wheat Pita Bread and/or fresh veggies with Natural Hummus

Natural Salsa (no high fructose corn syrup) and natural corn chips (baked or made with healthy oils)

Brown rice and Black Beans

Tomato and Cucumber slices with mustard, sea salt and pepper

Apple slices and almond butter

Wrap or Pita with veggies and hummus

ENJOY!

2009 Heatherlyn Music Highlights

2010-01-19T22:22:00.015-06:00

JAN :: Presented music alongside speaker, explorer, prominent MN activist, and very cool individual, Will Steger

FEB 24th :: KARE 11 TV Appearance >> CLICK FOR VIDEO.

FEB 24th :: Performance at The Fineline, a prominent music venue in Minneapolis, MN

APR 27 - MAY 1 :: Songwriting Workshop with Middle School Students; Savage, MN

MAY 22 :: KUMD Radio Interview and Studio Performance; Duluth, MN - CLICK TO LISTEN!

JUL 9,10 :: Heatherlyn's First Music Festival at LIFEST! (Photo with friend and artist Jonathan Rundman)

Summer 2009 :: Began partnership with Youthrive LIVE! and because of it, we had the opportunities to contribute to the following State-Wide Summits:

High School Completion and Graduation/Drop Out Prevention Summit
Minnesota Summit to Prevent Sexual Violence

NOV 4th :: Heatherlyn presented at the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium with 2,500 young people present to be voices for clean water in Africa.

APR & SEPT :: Heatherlyn and husband, Jason, each took turns leaving their day jobs and moved from moonlighting in music to living into their dreams full-time! It's been scary and very challenging, like a roller coaster ride at times, but here we head on into 2010 hoping for many more good things to come as we share music for HoPeacEquity to and through all!

A Minnesota Summit to Prevent Sexual Violence

2010-01-19T21:52:00.009-06:00

In December of 2009, MNCASA (Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault), in partnership with the Minnesota Departments of Health and Corrections and others hosted a Summit in St. Paul, MN, the first of it's kind in the nation, to focus on Sexual Violence Prevention. (SEE NEWS COVERAGE!)

Heatherlyn Music got to participate through our partnership with Youthrive LIVE! and present alongside other artists, such as the eloquent spoken word artist Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria and Tish Jones, who care about this issues.

It meant more to me than I realized it would to present at this Summit. I've journeyed very closely with a survivor of rape and sexual harassment. I've witnessed the pain and deep impact upon her self-esteem, well-being and sense of empowerment. Before, singing Put On Your Climbing Shoes, I briefly & discretely shared a portion of her story and how it illustrated the fact that this is "everybody's business" and integrated leadership is vital to movement forward.

Whether someone is a business owner, a high school principal, a parent, a civil servant, a neighbor - we all have to have an awareness and the determination to stand up for the dignity and safety of ourselves and others.

I had the honor of sharing the stage with Patty Wetterling, a leading Minnesota activist, U.S. advocate for children. At the close of the day, she came up to me and hugged me before I even realized who it was! Then she thanked me and told me I was eloquent! That meant a ton to me. =)

Be sure to click on the links above to learn more about this issue and see how you may be involved!!

Holiday Music from Heatherlyn is Here!!

2009-12-03T01:36:00.006-06:00

DOWNLOAD FREE HOLIDAY MUSIC from HEATHERLYN at www.noisetrade.com/heatherlynmusic when you tell 5 friends.

OR Pay-What-You-Want for this simple, laid-back living room recording of heatherlyn sharing songs she's written for the season and her own renditions of a couple favorite classics.

It's the next best to having heatherlyn actually join you with her acoustic guitar for your holiday gathering. We're calling this online download-able collection Home with You...for Christmas.

We recorded these songs in our living room. It's simple and straightforward. No overdubs, no pitch correction, the closest to a LIVE recording you could get. And we really hope you enjoy it this season and be excited to tell others about it because we worked hard on it and we're super jazzed to share it with you!

The title track is a heatherlyn song many of you already know and love: Home with You.... We think you'll be delighted by the 2 new stanzas in honor of Christmas.

Other heatherlyn originals featured on this album include
Together at Christmastime, a whimsical love song;
Peace on Earth, a mournful prayer and echo of the first Christmas song
and Holiday Gloom, a lighthearted look at the underside of being together for the holidays.

We also included a couple of heatherlyn's favorite classics, her own renditions of...
In the Bleak Midwinter
Let It Snow
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

We hope these will guide our hearts to live a simpler, more peaceful holiday season.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours from us!

Love in the gLovebox ~ an ongoing story

2009-11-23T15:28:00.009-06:00

Magnets. Whether you've passed the time with one of those desk top "toys" or as a kid learned about the positive and negative sides of magnets, you've likely stacked magnets, felt the force of them sticking to or repelling each other.

Sometimes I feel like a magnet. When I encounter others, sometimes the sides of us facing each other make it super easy and even fun to connect. Sometimes, the sides of myself and another facing each other - even though we are essentially made of the same substance - cause us to experience a repelling. We feel awkward or weird.

One of those moments for me has been at traffic light intersections. You know the scene: a red light, you stop and there's a tired-looking person standing at the corner with a cardboard sign. My head spins in moments like these. I feel like I want to respond but I don't know how. I want to look since there's a human being standing there, reaching out. They may be reaching out in a really socially unacceptable way, but they are reaching out - so I want to look their way, but I avoid eye contact. I don't have loose change. I'm not sure that would help anyway. I don't know this person and I don't want to judge, but I'm not sure I want to entrust them with a gift of cash. All these thoughts and feelings surface and finally, (deep breath) the light changes to green. I can go on my way, perhaps say a prayer for the person standing there. But I resign myself to feeling that there's nothing I can do, and in a few minutes, I'll be on to my next task and it won't be hard for me to forget.

My husband and I have a group of friends who asked the question: "What if we were ready for these unexpected encounters at the intersection?" So we have gathered together with packages of warm socks, boxes of granola cars, hats, even hand warmers and meal dollars for a particular food venue. We put all this on a table and take one of each to put in a big zip lock bag, assembling what we call "Love in the gLovebox bundles".

Last week, Jason, my husband, and I had a meeting in downtown Saint Paul. There was a gentleman standing at the intersection of 35 E and Grand Ave. He held a cardboard sign indicating he was a veteran and in need. I handed Jason one of the gLOVEbox bundles we had prepared in community just a couple weeks earlier. He rolled down his window, passed it to the gentlemen on the corner and simply said, “Peace, Man.” It was remarkable at how ready he was to receive when he had no idea what Jason was handing him. I looked back and he was smiling and turning the bag over and over, seeing what little precious gifts were just given him. I pray he is safe, warm, loved and loving always. I don't know how that small gift impacted him, but I know it changed me. To be able to not pass him by. To be able to look at him unafraid. To connect with this human being and not experience that repelling impression - if even for a moment - was so powerful. It is changing my heart and my eyes.

This weekend (Nov 21st), in Duluth I shared a bit of this story with a set

of songs, such as Wayfaring Stranger (the spiritual), Invitation to the Unlikely and Be the Love. (Click on the song titles to view the youtube videos.) Afterward, a gentlemen approach Jason and myself with tears welling up in his eyes and he thanked us. He said, "I'm someone who has been there at the street corner; ...you want to know how that man was impacted? ...you showed him care in an uncaring world. You showed him dignity. Thank you for doing that." He apologized for hardly being able to keep it together. He was so deeply moved. We thanked him for sharing.

There are so many small ways we can intentionally live kindness, to be compassion, to be love. Even if we don't share all of life with another, we do share our humanity and we share the earth we live upon. Love in the gLovebox is just one simple way our group of friends has discovered helps us turn a little so the side facing another is the magnetic connection side. Maybe when the most unlikely pairs can stick together, maybe then we can build strong and genuine communities.

Graduation Summit

2009-11-23T14:43:00.008-06:00

The Minnesota State Wide Graduation/High School Completion/Drop-Out Prevention Summit

November 17 & 18, 2009

Our partnership with YOUTHRIVE, the upper mid-west affiliate of PeaceJam provided us the opportunity to contribute music to the MN State Wide GRADUATION/High School Completion/Drop-Out Prevention SUMMIT, held this past week (Nov. 17 & 18) in St. Paul, MN. It was a really neat event to be part of. I learned a lot. Before the event, I had no idea how much of an issue dropping out really is in our country. The basic stats I recall are these: Every 26 seconds, a high school student drops out. One third of all our students, including half of our minorities students don't graduate.

The first day, educators, various kinds of youth workers and students came together to talk about the current situation, their experiences and ideas. I sang When I Dream and then Put On Your Climbing Shoes to encourage us all to approach the challenges and daunting task ahead with hope and togetherness.

The second day, youth shared their stories and what they think would be effective solutions. Legislators and policy makers came to listen. Cool. I closed the day with three songs and some sharing. We began with a cover of Seasons of Love. Then I briefly shared: "I grew up in challenging circumstances. Those challenges made me who I am today, but without a doubt, the biggest difference in my life was the community that surrounded, the grownups in my life who cared and helped me see that my choices not only effected my own future and hope but also the hope and future of others in my sphere of influence." So I thanked those present for coming to be change-agents and transitioned into Be the Love with the famous quote of Gandhi: "Be the change...." (They all finished the sentence for me.) We closed out with an encore of Put on Your Climbing Shoes. "We've been at a Summit this week, but there's a summit we have yet to reach, isn't there? There's a mountain we have to climb and the only way we can do it successfully is to do it together; so let's do it. "

Students, youth workers, educators, legislators all stood, clapped and sang along. Good times. :)

Photo at the Top: Heatherlyn, Joanne Benson (Former Lieutenant Governor of MN), Rachel (High School Intern of Youthrive) and Donna (Executive Director of Youthrive).

Second Photo: David, Heatherlyn, Jazmin (David & Jazmin are two of the youth who shared their stories and ideas for solutions. They were amazing young people.

H2O + 2,000 Twin Cities Youth + HL

2009-11-09T22:56:00.004-06:00

This past week, we had the opportunity to be part of an incredible event called "Thirsty" where 2,000 young people came together in the legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Minneapolis, MN to learn to be the difference between water scarcity and water abundance, to learn to be the difference between despair and hope.

Charles Banda, one of the presenters and Director of The Malawi Freshwater Project, came all the way from Africa to share with us his story about his experience with water and the work that he is doing to provide clean, fresh water. We watched a segment of Water First, a documentary on water and living conditions in his country, in which Mr. Banda and his organization are featured.

Heatherlyn and band performed music such as a rockin' remix of the traditional spiritual Wade in the Water, with original lyric stanzas by Heatherlyn: "Who are the youth in their sweatshirts and jeans...wade in the water...who will live for one another and pull up their sleeves?...God's gonna trouble the water." Later, Heatherlyn shared the story behind her song on water scarcity, Hard to Swallow and the band delivered like no body's business.

Heatherlyn on Doug Pagitt Radio - SEPT 27th 2009

2009-10-05T14:03:00.000-06:00

Voicing....

2009-08-12T10:47:00.000-06:00

I've heard many say something to the effect of "being a voice for the voiceless". I understand the good intentions behind this but I feel strongly that this statement is both condescending and dehumanizing.

EVERY HUMAN BEING HAS A VOICE! Seriously, if any person is "voiceless" it is because we haven't listened.

Yes, many voices are suppressed or ignored, perhaps lacking a platform, and WE who happen to have many resources and platforms need to be about the work of voicing.

We need to SURFACE, HONOR, and AMPLIFY voices of the oppressed.

We at Heatherlyn Music hope to be about this work around the world. Art, music and dance are miraculous means to surfacing voice, helping ANY human being (myself included) discover and express their own voice.

How do you go about voicing?
How do you listen and honor marginalized voices?
How do you amplify these voices that must be heard?
How would you be willing to support our work in this?

Thanks for your time and consideration of these things.

~Heatherlyn

www.heatherlynmusic.com

HLTV

2009-08-11T16:16:00.001-06:00

success?

2009-06-05T15:13:00.002-06:00

what is success?

surely not more excess.

follow your heart,

what makes it beat strongest.

if even madness to your head,

go with gladness.

be courageous.

create (a world) like a child

2009-05-08T10:14:00.004-06:00

Last week, I got to spend every morning with my good friend "Swen" and a handful of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders...all we talked about was creativity and song-writing. We tapped chairs and pen tops, drums and our own knees to create various rhythms. We looked all around us for ideas of things to write about and then we took 5 minutes to write non-stop to discover what sources of inspiration were inside of us.
Mid week, the class wrote 2 verses and a chorus about an "Animal Mansion" that was a home for all creatures of the earth. These animals all sang and danced and played together. You could come to sing and dance and play along. Apparently it was such a fun place to be, you'd want to stay forever. WOW, right!?!
These kids totally get something about life and our intrinsic connectedness. Penguins playing with lions, dolphins leaping in the water alongside kangaroos that hop on the shoreline...This all reminds me of another story I've heard, a story about a vision or dream of the earth one day, how it may be when all things are reconciled...the lion and the lamb will lie down together...and a little child shall lead them....

heatherlynmusic.com - What's in the name?

2009-04-28T12:03:00.003-06:00

We ‘ve transitioned Heatherlyn.org to heatherlynmusic.com for a number of reasons, including that our actual legal business name is “Heatherlyn Music” and our myspace URL is heatherlynmusic. So there’s simply more continuity here and in my mind, it sounds a bit cooler too. ;D

But this modification made me think about the two words together…What does "Heatherlyn Music" mean? Not just that it’s Heatherlyn’s music, meaning poetry and melodies I’ve written; not just as a brand name cause it happens to be my name, but what is music that's “heatherlyn” ?

Names have always been important to me. I’ve always been interested in their origin and meaning. There are a few different meanings I’ve come across for my name, but the simplest meaning of “Heather” alone is “flowering”. Maybe you’ve seen the flower. It’s similar to baby’s breath, but with a slight purple or bright pink color. One of my favorite countries, Ireland, is known for its fields of heather.

So…Flowering: I do want the spirit of Heatherlyn Music to be about valuing and celebrating the simple, natural beauty in life. Sometimes we need a song to remember the abundance we have so close to us in these free and effortless gifts that are so easy to forget.

“Lyn” means “flowing river.” This makes me think of those traditional tunes like “Down by the Riverside” and others that illustrate a vibrantly flowing river, fresh water that is available to nourish all that surrounds it: the earth, the flowers, trees and ALL people. The river does not discriminate. It freely flows.

So…Flowering, Flowing River: We may feel the challenges of these times and the hardships many face in the world are like stagnant waters and barren lands. We hope Heatherlyn Music will be refreshing, an endlessly blossoming flow of creativity, inspiring us all to be life-givers, peacemakers, justice-doers, kindness-lovers, care-takers for each other and the earth.

So when you hear “Heatherlyn Music”, we hope you won’t only think of the woman, the songs, or the voice of Heatherlyn, but we hope you’ll also imagine how you, your gift and your voice for all your days can continually stream hope and beauty as a life-giving river to the whole wide world.

Peace,
heatherlyn
now at www.heatherlynmusic.com

Bliss and Sweat ~ a day in the life of heatherlyn music

2009-04-21T17:28:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was my first day officially as a full-time (meaning every moment of my waking hours...and even some of my dreaming), self-sustaining, independent singer/song-artist. Many have asked what I'm up to....

Creativity/Artistry
There are daily practices I’ve discovered I need to nurture my inner artist, be ready for inspiration and simply BE an artist. These practices include daily writing, healthy balanced eating, physical activity and creativity.

Daily writing: I definitely write more than once many days, but EVERY morning, the very first thing I do is put pen to paper. I have no guidelines or expectations from this. I write whatever comes to mind and write freely until I fill at least three long-hand pages. For me this is like morning meditation. Often it clears my head and even helps me prioritize the day.

Eating well: This regularly includes some kind of small culinary adventure. We eat pretty simply and close to the earth in our house. Fresh veggies and fruit, whole grains, lentils or beans, homegrown herbs and spices are our basic staples and I find a different way for us to enjoy them regularly. This actually doesn’t take as much time as it seems.

Physical activity: Daily exercise may include a brisk walk or dancing to Michael Franti in my living room. I’ve learned I must do this to have energy, clarity and focus. I have had an underactive thyroid since my teen years so these two practices are vital to a healthy being.

Creativity: I need to do something at least weekly that is playful like coloring, splashing watercolors, dancing, viewing an art display, a nature walk, listening to a live performer….

Practicing
I’m practicing guitars, keys, percussion, and vocals to keep improving my skills. There are many songs that I have already crafted that I need to hone and make better, always reviewing old and new material and being sure it’s prepared or ready to be shared in a fresh way. I’m practicing to a metronome to keep improving my sense of rhythm and solidly execute each strum.

I review notebooks in which I’ve scribbled lines of poetry or song ideas and I pick one to expand upon. A quick Wikipedia review of a topic along with some of my own scribbly brainstorming on a theme births carefully crafted words, which lay the foundation for a brand new tune.

Some days I'm also recording, but not lately...

Preparation/Presentation
Time and thought is spent preparing for various events. Many shows have a slight variation one to the next depending on the theme or audience.
Presentation pieces related to a particular issue of justice necessitate that I do basic research, keep myself informed, and write out thoughts that connect the music to a particular issue or organization.

Getting Down to Business
We are our own manager, booking agents, promotions, etc. So we do all that work of making calls, following up, booking shows, scheduling meetings to prep for a particular event. Then we manage all the details and promotions for each event with each corresponding contact. Networking over coffee, the phone, online, exploring and developing ideas and discovering possibilities for partnership are all parts of a day in the life for Heatherlyn Music.
[press kits, sending materials, cdbaby, facebook, myspace, web updates, blog, media, editing, equipment, maps/directions, composing emails and proposals….]

Time is spent writing updates like this for you the friends and fans that we depend on and we hope you’ll join us on this fantastic adventure of bliss and sweat.

A New Season and a Leap of Faith

2009-03-20T06:11:00.005-06:00

Friends, as spring is arriving, it's also a new season within Heatherlyn Music. For 3 years, we've been intentionally on this journey towards growing as an independent song-artist. We've been learning the ropes, practicing, networking and most of you know we released the debut album just last April! The avenues I need to pursue are clearer than ever. The work I need to be doing to book shows and appearances, promoting, writing, being creative, growing as a musician, poet, etc...all of these things are becoming more and more clear. My heart, mind and whole being are constantly drawn more and more to being about this work. So we've decided it's time for me to resign from my "day job" and commit my ALL to these tasks.

This is a flying leap of faith. We are counting on friendship and your introductions to keep us on this path. Without a record label or big budgets for any of this, it's YOU, our listeners, family, friends, fans who can really give Heatherlyn Music the momentum and stamina to keep going. We depend on the powerful, effective good old fashioned tool of word-of-mouth and the newer word-of-mouse (that would be your computer and online social networks and email ). Every recommendation of our music that you make to a friend or colleague, every purchase you make...all that you do to support us ensures that we will be able to vitally grow this service of artistry and inspiration!

HERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DO ::
Tell the coordinator at your office/company/firm that they should hire Heatherlyn for a staff event, volunteer appreciation, diversity program or even holiday party.

Share with social justice action leaders on your campus or in your local community how valuable Heatherlyn's music would be for inspiring people to be part of their cause.

Recommend Heatherlyn for your church's youth events and women's retreats where Heatherlyn could sing, lead singing, and share stories from her life and faith.

There are many MANY more opportunities and you may even have some IDEAS!!

Contact Heatherlyn with your ideas and connections!

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement as venture on this challenging and thrilling way!

2008 Thanksgiving Letter

2008-11-26T13:20:00.006-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Heatherlyn Music!!

Dear Friends,
The holidays can be a mixed bag, can't they? There are so many wonderful things to be thankful for on the one hand. I am deeply thankful for the chance to be with some family and good friends this week who we don't always get to see. I'm so thankful for excuses to bake gingersnaps and enjoy the aroma of apple cider with mulling spices simmering on the stove. I'm thankful for inspiration to write a new Christmas LOVE song (which I will be performing at the Black Sheep on Dec. 19th, by the way) and for the spirit of generosity and the joy of together-ness that surrounds us as Salvation Army bells emerge with their accompanying bright red kettles, the festive colors of holiday decor, presents under the tree and the coziness of warm mitten-ed hands wrapped around a mug of steaming hot chocolate.

On the other hand, this time of year can also remind us of what we are missing. I have family on the other side of the country that I haven't seen for a year and will not be able to see them this Christmas. Today, I don't feel emotional about that, but I know that tomorrow and Christmas day, I may be a bit sullen and sad as I have been on other holidays when I miss them so much. Then with the downturn of the economy, I think of some who may be longing to create a magical and meaningful Thanksgiving and Christmas for their families, but struggle to simply have a full meal with all the usual holiday dressings.

So we pray today for inner peace, for joy in the simple beauties that surround us, for forgiveness where there's broken relationship, for comfort for families that must be apart and so deeply long to be together, for hope in the midst of uncertainty and for contentment with the abundance that we do have in each other, in music, in laughter, in soup and bread, in home-made decorations, reusable gift bags and in opportunities to share.

Many thanks this Thanksgiving to you and for you, for your support of Heatherlyn Music and for the stories you share as you seek to be part of something bigger than yourselves this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Peace - Hope - Life,

heatherlyn

Heatherlyn Music | P.O. Box 1615 | Burnsville | MN | 55337

Hunger Concert - August 15th

2008-08-27T09:08:00.005-06:00

Jason and i continue to marvel that we get to do what we love to do and do it together. We enjoyed an incredible community/collaborative effort with River of Joy this past month, doing music with Ben and Micah and other friends to bring people together for a picnic and to make a difference locally and globally, not just becoming more aware of hunger in the neighborhood or world, but confronting it. We played all kinds of music, wove together originals and covers from each artist and we heard from Reps from Community Action Council, Feed My Starving Children and Trivent Financial.

Families and friends brought a total of 750 pounds of food for local food shelves and with a matching grant from Thrivent we raised a total of $1,400 which will purchases 2 HUGE bags of rice for Feed My Starving Children and that will provide 40,000 meals for children around the world!

Check out the press release in the Prior Lake American that invited the community to come.

CD release party - April 13th

2008-04-28T15:43:00.009-06:00

here are a just a couple photos from this amazing evening! more photos coming soon to heatherlyn.org.

if you missed the chance to get your own copy of heatherlyn's debut album at the party, or if you just want to order another copy, OR if you know a friend who just has to check it out, visit heatherlyn's new page on CD BABY!!

a great band!

a great crowd!

Family Photo

Standing Ovation

the back of a starbuck's cup ~ UBUNTU

2008-03-11T10:58:00.002-06:00

The Way I See It #255
"We will end poverty and stop HIV/AIDS within our generation when guided by African principles such as ubuntu that underscores our interconnectedness. With greater compassion for others, we would no longer accept hunger and disease as facts of life." -- Cedza Dlamini Youth emissary for the UN Millennium Development Goals, founder of the Ubuntu Institute for Young Social Entrepreneurs

CD release party!!

2008-03-03T21:58:00.006-06:00

Come celebrate this milestone with us!
Sunday, April 13th at 6pm...find more detailed info on heatherlyn's myspace and website.

STUDIO PICS from 2007:
:: heatherlyn singing ::

:: scott engineering ::

:: aaron on guitar ::

:: dash on bass ::