Beginnings, Endings and In-Betweenings
Tour wrap and sauntering into the new year
Sharing myself and my thoughts candidly is not always something that comes easily and can be wrapped up in so many layers of judgement of myself and others - a tendency that I am actively working to overcome. Amidst so much anguish and pain in the world right now it can feel like a selfish act to write but I’ve lately come to see it as quite the opposite. I think processing and sharing and being open may be one of the most important ways forward towards a better, more understanding place for us all. I’ve been really inspired and invigorated by seeing friends using this platform to write so honestly and openly in long form and to share music, books, thoughts… Maybe I will do that too. And so it begins.
A little over a month ago I got back from tour with the New Pornographers, a band I have loved since middle school. That’s pretty crazy!! The tour was nothing but positive and I cannot express how grateful and lucky I feel to have had this opportunity to play such great music with such great people (the band, Finom, the crew, everyone!). It was my first bus tour so that created some anticipation but turns out I sleep pretty well in a little moving coffin with rattles and bangs and inconsistent vibrations! Who would have thunk. And it was a total game changer awaking in the city we would play in and having most of the day to wander, explore, go to bookstores and record stores, eat.. Honestly it felt more relaxing and healthy than my daily life in New York often feels (maybe something to examine…). Musically this tour felt so natural, stepping into the huge-shoes-to-fill of my dear friend Adam Schatz and riding the sonic slipstream of a band that has played together for more than twenty years. It was also my first time playing synth and singing on stage, two things I want to do much more of this year! A radically loud thank you to Adam for asking me and trusting me.
I’m now realizing just how much I learned from the tour I did exactly one year before with another hero of mine whom I had been listening to for many years. I went into that experience starstruck, with three days notice and no time to learn the music except on stage. I was in no way mentally prepared for the grueling itinerary of van togetherness and the emotional intensity of those particular sound checks and green room hangs. Despite not always feeling like I found my place in it all, the music and the people carried me through that first tour and I learned some really powerful lessons about confidence, playing with your heroes and how to express gratitude and attitude. The reflections on self, musical direction, and tour life during and after that November 2022 run had everything to do with the next year of my life and in particular the success and positivity of the New Pornographers tour. Grateful for all the experiences.
This period really feels like a new season of my life. The end of a long relationship, the ensuing apartment moves and rebuilding of life here in NYC rocked my year and sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions, impulses and changes that have finally found a semblance of stability in the last few months. I traveled a lot in the final months of 2023 and the perspective I gained and people I met really unclogged a certain openness to the world and to others that is bringing me immense joy and creative inspiration now. The power of the smile!! My relationship to music has changed a lot too - I feel I’m in a season of focusing on being a better musician holistically more so than being a better technician of my (main) instrument. I’m learning new skills and implementing them in new music, some of which feels too close to share anytime soon and some of which I hope to record later this year.
I also put out my first record this year!! With my dearest friend Benny, who has been an accomplice on this journey for so many years. Together we recorded these songs that became Distance of the Moon, mostly in a chunk of two weeks in January 2022 at Lucy’s Meat Market in Los Angeles. The songs took form in surprising and unpredictable ways and we are both so happy with how the record came out, thanks to the genius of Pete Min at the controls and the many friends that contributed their voices (Jeff Parker, Owen Clapp, Mark Giuliana, Myles Martin, Abe Rounds, Daphne Chen, CJ Camerieri, Doug Stuart and Jacob Richards). On a tour stopover in L.A. in November I was able to hold and hear the vinyl for the first time and that was truly exciting. You can order your very own copy here! Many have asked if we will play a show at any point and my answer is “yes, i hope so*!!”
*potential of some benny/nora configuration happening as soon as February in Brooklyn!
There are lots of new collaborations in the works that I am beyond excited for. Jon Starks and I have been playing a lot of music together and calling it Playground because thats what it feels like. We are starting a semi-monthly residency at Troost (Brooklyn’s coziest bar) featuring a different special guest each show. We kicked off last month with the absolutely amazing Wendy Eisenberg and it was insane. Stay tuned for more on that. Ledah Finck and I played our first duo show together in December. It felt really really nice (viola and tenor, baby!) and I’m excited to continue developing that. Gamelan Dharma Swara is entering a new season and gearing up to learn an exciting new commission for ensemble and dance that we will work on during a residency at Chautauqua Institute in May. And for several months now I’ve been hosting and curating music once a week at Filthy Diamond bar in Bushwick. It’s really starting to feel like a warm community space and I’m stoked for it to continue to grow. It’s been so nice having a low key outlet to play tunes (something I’m less focused on these days, which makes the times I do it more fun and less pressured) but I’m also excited to see it develop into a more varied and experimental musical space.
I’m in semi-hibernation/germination mode right now so not many public appearances to note in the coming weeks but stay tuned for some exciting things to come this year!
OK. If you made it this far here is a reward in the form of LISTS!
My favorite listens of 2023:
Solo On Piano & Sax (Berliner Jazztage November 4th. 1972) - Ornette Coleman
Fantasize Your Ghost - Finom
Hounds of Love and Sensual World - Kate Bush
Nekkuja - Marina Herlop
I Get Along Without You Very Well - Ellen Arkbro & Johan Graden
Another Thought - Arthur Russell
A Musical Romance - Billie Holiday and Lester Young
Heaven Is A Junkyard - Youth Lagoon
The Sacrificial Code - Kali Malone
Nina Simone and Piano! - Nina Simone
My favorite reads of 2023:
The Character of Rain by Amelie Nothomb
In the Eye of the Wild by Nastassja Martin
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
And finally, if you have hung out with me in the last few weeks then you know the personal I/O list is one trend I am HERE FOR.
In for me in 2024:
animals that look like mythical creatures, learning clarinet, going to museums, the library, singing, smiling, forgiveness (of myself and others), reading on the train, meal planning, arugula/spinach salad mix, cycles, dice
Out for me in 2024:
not finishing projects, rushing, eating more than one box of annie’s mac and cheese per week, moving, tyrannical roommates, long regular commutes, chewing my toothbrush to ruin
Thank you for reading and can’t wait to see you soon!
Beautiful words to match your beautiful music. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and yes, here's to more long-form material in 2024! - Mark