THANK YOU

The Inspirit and St. Paul Choir at St. Paul the Apostle: If you’re looking for two of the best choirs in NYC, take the 1, A, B, C, or D to Columbus Circle, walk one block west, and enter the cathedral on Columbus Ave. You wouldn’t believe what these singers can do with their voices - as soloists and choir members! In the dream of the thing, I would have brought all 70 singers in to this project, but it was important to me to pay every artist in the creation of this project. It just wasn’t in budget to pay more than 8 singers this time around…but I would love to sing this music with a group this big one day. Thank you to the choirs and their conductor, Joey Chancey, for inspiring me to dream a little bigger, darling!

Wendy Sternberg and Genesis at the Crossroads: We were slated to head to Mauritius, Africa this summer to write music with teens for a Peace Summit. The dates unfortunately had to move to next year (still so excited!), but Wendy was graceful enough to still pay me for the time I had booked. That money went straight towards paying this remarkable choir of singers! Thank you Wendy!

The Jedi, MDMs, MD2s, Serenity Now, Kai, and DZ at Sunday Robotics: I joke about my foray into the W-2 world in this piece, but I can’t begin to express how healthy this job has been for me on so many fronts. I’ve proudly been able to pay my income forward to other artists in the creation of this album! But even more than the novelty of consistent income, the consistency of having so many funny and caring humans to be in touch with on a daily basis (from the introverted comfort of my own home) has meant the world to me. Thank you.

Jay Harris and Matt FitzSimons are the most patient men you will ever meet. They are my Muze collaborators and the brilliant brains behind all of the current software and hardware. A billion thank yous for this alone! Their kindness and grace have created such a stress-free, welcoming space for me to create and explore how best to use this tool for my art. I am very lucky. Thank you, Jay and Fitz!

Edwin Zane and Dane C. Reiley at Looseworld: I was really struggling with the video capture of these clips. I was reluctantly ready to film this by myself with a couple of iPhones and light boxes, but I knew this meant I would never actually be able to be comfortable and myself during takes. I threw a Hail Mary out to Edwin, who was kind enough to meet with me to discuss what it would look like to capture something organic and homey. We also talked about how important it was to have a sensitive and collaborative DP with me. Edwin made a phone call to his partner, Dane, and 5 days before our scheduled shoot, I was in touch with Wil Davis. I cannot think of a more perfect fit for this project, and it is all thanks to Edwin and his generous heart.

Lorena Diaz, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, and Wendy of Teatro Vista Productions: TVP is an amazing collective of artists - you should check them out! During the handful of years that I worked here, my job was to create videos and imagery that brought Latine and Afro-Latine artists into the spotlight. In the past, even before TVP, I’ve vacillated between two different types of projects: Ones that are just about me and ones that are just about other people. My mother-in-law often talks about how, when she only has one of her two sons at home with her, it is “half a happiness”. That is exactly what it feels like - when I am just creating about me, I feel like it is missing something crucial, and when I hide behind the stories of others, I feel like I’m just hiding. When I started writing these songs, I had TVP in the back of my head, telling me that it was not time to make another project that was just about me. So I tried to do something kind of in the middle. More of an “us” project. Thanks, Jefas.

Alex Cummings is one of the most brilliant, versatile musicians I have ever been lucky enough to work with. Wow. I had severe imposter syndrome during our collaboration, because I couldn’t believe he actually wanted to work with me! The beautiful thing about Alex, though - he is so exceptionally talented, but he’s really just…about the music. He wants to be in service of good music. He was down to play in a weird sandbox and explore the “what else” every step of the way. This virtuoso approaches music with the love and excitement of an amateur: the root of amateur being love! Alex is a beautiful reminder to us all to keep coming back to the music. Keep coming back to the art. 

John Dutton: Mixing engineers understandably grit their teeth when I send them 256 stems. When I compose vocal harmonies and they ask which ones need to be front and center, the answer has always been and will always be all of them, all at once. They are all important. I wrote them and I want you to hear them. Mixing engineers love to hear this. Thankfully, the brilliant John Dutton has stuck around for the ride and is very down to take on a challenge. If you think these songs sound great, it is because John painstakingly took my musical rat king and gently untangled it with the patience of a saint. It was hard-earned, I was a pain in the butt, so if you ever run into a John Dutton, please buy him a craft beer.

Wil Franz, Maggie Scrantom, and Davis Corazzari: I can’t believe how quickly we threw this shoot together, and how magical it ended up being. Thank you each for setting such a laid-back, sensitive vibe for the day. It really helped me relax in a setting that I typically have a hard time relaxing in. It’s the first time I have ever been truly comfortable on camera. You are all amazing and I would be lucky to work with you again!

Zachary Konick and Sam Renard: Oh gosh, these scores were absolute beasts and they were such sweethearts every step of the way. It is a dream come true, being able to look at every single part that I wrote all at once. It is such a gift. Thank you.

Renny Flanigan: My cousin is really talented and I’m excited to share her work with you! The dog sticker/logo is Ren’s work - it really helped to set the tone for something a little more laid back and less “serious”. Best wishes to Renny in her studies as an art history major!

Brad Swanson was kind enough to share his Neumann U 87 with me for a few days, and it was love at first sight. Man, do I love that mic. It inspired me to rent this mic out for another month and track all of my vocals at home instead of going into a studio. Brad’s generosity early on in the project was a helpful kickoff for me to finally start to “do the thing”. Thank you, Brad!

Devin Ilaw is a bit of a magician! I met him when he was Jesus (no, seriously, he was playing Jesus in a gorgeous rendering of the Passion by the brilliant J. Oconer Navarro). I was singing the part of Pilate’s Wife. I was really struggling vocally at the time and in a bit of a meltdown about it - nothing was coming easily. J suggested I talk to golden-voiced Devin about voice lessons. I am so glad I did. I cannot recommend Devin enough as a vocal coach! He truly walked me across the finish line with this piece, giving me the confidence to do less, work less, worry less. I had his sweet voice in my ear through the entirety of this recording process. Thank you, Devin!

Cameron A. Jones: Oh my gosh, can we please talk about Cameron? I met this bright light at the tail end of a birthday party when I WANTED to go to sleep, but I immediately fell in love with his energy. In addition to being a big-time performer and coach, Cameron is also a stylist. Style has been a fraught subject for me for the better part of 2 decades, so I initially put my fists up…but I was so smitten with Cameron that I let him take me on a thrifting trip, where he taught me that I’m actually allowed to be comfortable and myself in how I present myself. I don’t have to be “more”. I don’t have to be “better”. And I’m allowed to play and push the boundaries of that whenever I feel like it. Cameron probably has no idea what an impact this thrifting day has had on this entire project. Thank you!

The Healers: Too many people to name, but I’ll do my best. These are the doctors, healers, teachers, therapists, physical therapists, mystics, acupuncturists, radiologists, and ENTs who all supported me through a very strange period of my life:

Dr. Lisa Tian, Mohit Vyas, Amrit Matteo Guillan, Diana Yoon, Danette Plagge, Joelle Ludwig, Dr. Daniel Savaria, Dr. Roseanne Cruz Schoen, Jessica Ho, Taita Itzhak Beery, Reverend Lisa French, Reverend Patty Lassaline, Reverend Mavis Hirata, Kathleen Duggan, Nancy McPhee, Joan Teasdale, Gaida Hinnawi, Jessica Brown, Jennifer Anglin, Renee Picard, Beth Strandlund, and Sri Dharma Mittra.

Mom, Dad, and Gabe, always.