Keep Hope Alive

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." 

- Margaret Mead

We have entered into spring- it's been a slow arrival, but here we are.

With spring, come Keep Hope Alive events, which are evenings organized by Simply Smiles that raise funding for the year's programs in Oaxaca, Mexico and LaPlant, South Dakota.

Last weekend, on the first day of spring something remarkable happened.

I'm not referring to the 5 inches of snow that fell (which, by the way, took me down hard - I still have a bruise on my hip!), I am referring to a small group of people that came together to change the world.

Because of the snow and the bad roads, we were all nervous - would anyone even come to the event? If I had a choice between curling up on the couch under a blanket and going out in the cold - I would have probably chosen the blankie...

Attendance was low, about 2/3 of the RSVPs didn't come.

But we did the event anyway, because the other 1/3 did come. And because we were there, and because we thought - these folks came out in the middle of a snowstorm - we decided to make the best event we could despite circumstances we couldn't control.

And it worked!

People were so happy to be there, the energy and positivity in the room were absolutely amazing. I feel like we were generating our own heat.

As the night started, people raised their hands to donate money, as the night continued, people continued to raise their hands, and about halfway through the night...

An anonymous donor gave $40,000.

The audience went wild. People continued to give. We were all tearing up. It was emotional and powerful and inspiring.

At the end of the night, Simply Smiles had raised $114,760 thanks to generous pledges, and we knew in our heart of hearts that a small group of committed people had come together to make the world a better place.

I take back what I said earlier. There's no place I would have rather been than in that room. I wouldn't have missed that night for the world.

Be True

So here's the thing. I've talked about this a lot. In the last years, I have discovered that as I stay truer to my convictions, my beliefs and what I know is right, things go well for me.

I've embraced being a true, sing-along-leading folk singer, I've embraced that I want to help kids on a reservation learn music, I've embraced that I want people to be kind to one another, and look at what's happened:

  • I opened for Pete Seeger, I shared the stage with Dar Williams, Peter Yarrow, and many others, just because I committed to my musical calling.
  • People from around the country have sent guitars, strings, picks, guitar stands, just because they too want to help kids on the Cheyenne River Reservation learn music.
  • The Just Be Nice Party is becoming a real party. Thousands of people have joined the movement, and we are in the planning stages for our first music festival to push the movement forward. Turns out a lot of people want to be kind.

All of these things have happened, are happening and will happen.

That's a pretty great public service announcement for staying true to you!

So, I'll just add to that list a little bit.

We've fought fracking in Connecticut, especially the dumping of toxic fracking waste in our water. People came together, spoke up to our governor, and legislation happened. By taking a stand and getting involved, I'm now included on a list of amazing musicians, songwriters and performers, and together we've put together a compilation album to raise awareness on the dangers of fracking.

I'm on an album with the Indigo Girls for goodness sake.

So there you have it. Be true to you. If you've been waiting for proof, if you've been waiting for confirmation, please let this story and this evidence persuade you to follow your true path and passion. The world really needs you.

Love, Kristen

---------

John Butler Trio, Bonnie Raitt, Pete Seeger, and more stand against fracking on ‘Buy This Fracking Album,’ 6.16

John Butler Trio, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Franti, Indigo Girls, and many more are lending their voices in an effort to shed light on the dangers of hydro-fracking - a method of extracting natural gas from the earth’s shale that also jeopardizes and contaminates the water table - on a 24 track, two disc benefit compilation, 'Buy This Fracking Album' (June 16th). The album proceeds will benefit Marcellus Protest, a non profit organization in Pennsylvania, and other grassroots organizations around the country working to ban fracking. Album beneficiary Food & Water Watch is donating its share of the proceeds into a fund that album producers will distribute to grassroots organizations. Many of the artists who have contributed songs to the album have openly voiced their opposition to fracking, with arguments ranging from the desire to champion community health, combat the corporate hold on American democracy, or - in the words of singer Kristen Graves - “I want future generations to have an example of what it looks like to live humbly, respectfully, and well with the earth.”

Watch the official album trailer here.

‘Buy This Fracking Album’ contains a combination of original recordings, previous releases, and live renditions of older songs.  The compilation includes Pete Seeger's first album appearance since his passing - a never before released live rendition of Woody Guthrie's classic “This Land Is Your Land" - “Hell to Pay” by Bonnie Raitt from her ’94 album ‘Longing in Their Hearts,' a live version of the Indigo Girls' “World Falls,” and original recordings from Meshell Ndegeocello (“Never Still Water”), Marco Benevento and Dave Dreiwtiz (“Freakin Frack”), and more.

While the songs on the album range in genre and subject, they all share the common goal of bringing awareness to one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.  Each of the 24 tracks speak to the fact that - as contributor Anti Flag says - “[corporations] can’t drink money, and we can’t drink natural gas.” Michael Franti says he wrote "Earth From Outer Space," "as a reminder of the importance of all of us being stewards of our planet, keeping it healthy for the next generations” and Bonnie Raitt - a founding member of Musicians United for Safe Energy - added, "banning fracking everywhere is one of the most critical environmental issues of our time because it destroys our water, our communities and our planet.”  As Rusted Root's Michael Glabicki explains, banning fracking is "not a matter of politics or money - it’s just a matter of common sense that you don’t destroy the earth like fracking does.”

‘Buy This Fracking Album’s’ Long Island-based producer Jason Samel is, in his own words, "not one to close [his] mouth much about anything” - a trait that led him to realize early in his career that he did not fit into the corporate world.  When Occupy Wall Street began in September 2011, Samel was thrilled to see “activism in his backyard,” and joined protesters at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan.  In the park, Samel was moved by different types of music converging together for a singular cause, and left feeling inspired to create his first benefit album - ‘Occupy This Album.’  Through a series of connections and introductions he made during the movement, as well as support from filmmaker Michael Moore, Samel produced a four-disc album featuring “99 songs for the 99 percent,” with music by Jackson Browne, Warren Haynes, Willie Nelson, Yoko Ono, Immortal Technique, and Arlo Guthrie.  It also was during his time at Zuccoti park that Samel took notice of the anti-fracking movement, and began laying the foundation for what would eventually become his second benefit album and the follow-up to ‘Occupy This Album’ - 'Buy This Fracking Album.’

Funding for the album is being raised through a crowd-funding campaign on Pledge Music, which allows fans to show their support by purchasing unique items and experiences, including concert tickets, a signed guitar, VIP tickets with a meet and greet with Bonnie Raitt, a one of a kind hand painted guitar from Michael Franti, DJ lessons with DJ Logic, and Marco Benevento will even play a concert in your home.

‘Buy This Fracking Album’ - Tracklist:

Disc 1: 1. “Smallest Trees” - Rootz Underground 2. “Freakin Frack” - Marco Benevento and Dave Dreiwitz 3. “Smarty Pants” - Rusted Root 4. “Earth From Outer Space (Acoustic)” - Michael Franti 5. “Activist” - Jay Samel w/ DJ Logic and Friends 6. “Revolution” - John Butler Trio 7. “Russel Crowe” - Moon Hooch 8. “Never Still Water” - Meshell Ndegeocello 9. “Gasland Terror” - Anti Flag 10. “Seasons” - Rebel Diaz 11. “Hydro Fracking Clowns” - Chris Merenda 12. “Fools Gold” - Pony Boy

Disc 2: 1. “This Land is Your Land (Live At Farmaid 2013)” - Pete Seeger 2. "Before the Drilling Rigs Got Here” - Thom Chacon 3. “Lack of Cash Flow Blues” - David Amram 4. “Drill on the Horizon” - Mike and Ruthy 5. “Motherland (Live)” – Natalie Merchant and The Felice Brothers 6. “The Mountain” - Steve Earle 7. “Down There” - Tom Chapin and John Forster 8. "The River Song” - Kristen Graves 9. “Hell to Pay” - Bonnie Raitt 10. “World Falls (Live)” - Indigo Girls 11. "What About Climate Change” - Eve Silber 12. “Star Spangled Banjo” - Josh Fox

11024661_445113348991347_9134722933538922809_n
11024661_445113348991347_9134722933538922809_n

Empowerment. #FORWARD

Empowerment is such a great word - just saying it, I feel, well…empowered! I met an amazingly energetic and kind woman named Jo-Ná Williams a few months ago. She’s a lawyer and an entrepreneurial coach. Quite a combo.

This year, she thought it would be cool to start off 2015 by offering folks an Artist Empowerment Challenge. I signed up, and I’ve been loving it.

This Challenge started with and has expanded upon the idea of choosing a word or theme for your year.

I love this!

I have a few friends who do this, my friend Cynthia even wrote a blog about it, and they all swear it’s better than having a new year’s resolution.

I had been thinking about this idea, so when choosing a word came up on the first day of the Challenge, I was prepared.

I went with FORWARD.

I know 2015 is going to be a great year for me. 2014 was great, and 2013 I opened for Pete Seeger, so yeah - that was awesome too.

I've started off 2015 with some great momentum, and I have a really good feeling about it. Even though I’ll have setbacks, and even though moving forward demands hard work, I will.

I will move forward,

I will think forward,

and I will keep my gaze forward.

This is not the year for me to be looking back, and it’s not the year for me to be dreaming about my future. I will be present and I will march on.

With this- I’ve decided on something else: I am no longer allowing mistakes to kill the flow of my momentum. (You shouldn't either!)

I’ve been guilty of this in the past. No more!

I’ll have a set back.

I’ll write a dumb song.

I’ll miss a workout.

And in the past, I'd have felt that all was lost.

That’s ridiculous!

This is the year that I will learn from my mistakes and I will move…FORWARD.

If you’re interested in this challenge, you can join anytime! The exercises only take a few minutes, and I’ve gotten a lot out of them already. You can get more information here if it sounds like your style.

As always - thanks for reading my blog, thanks for listening to my music, and thanks for your support!

See you as we move onward and forward, Kristen

#forward

forward
forward

Branding > Boring

I attended a music business seminar recently, hosted by Ariel Hyatt and Michael Whalen. It was super informative, and even fun. (I try to go into events like this with no expectation, but definitely did not count on fun!) At the end of the day, Ariel asked us all to write a guest blog post if we were willing.

So I did.

The link to the post is here, and I hope that you find it informative and helpful. Basically, I just wanted to share about how I realized that branding is not boring.

IMG_9244
IMG_9244

The other thing that I learned that day? My mom & dad taught me well.

There was a rule in our house after our birthdays and holidays. Before we could play with any gifts that we had received, we had to write a thank you note. It became such a part of our ritual that my brother and I would oftentimes start the thank you note ahead of time...

------------

Dear Grandma,

Thank you so much for the...

------------

We figured that it would give us a jump start after the gift had been opened.

So, true to what I've learned, I sent Ariel and Michael thank you notes. I learned a lot from the seminar, and they offered it for free! How generous and supportive! I wanted them to know that I felt so grateful.

Both of them emailed me to let me know how rare it is for them to get thank you notes in the mail. And thanked me for thanking them.

If snail mail and thank you notes are your thing - embrace it! People are happy to hear from you, and to know that they've helped you. And remember - the world and folks around you don't owe you anything... Be. Grateful.

Just wanted to add that little bit. :)

The Self-Doubt Monster

Friends, I have been wallowing. I won’t lie to you - I gave in to self-pity this weekend, and it has been terrible. I feel like a weak-minded idiot who can’t control her own thoughts.

This weekend I had to cancel two shows that I had been looking forward to for months. For those of you who know me - booking agents and audience members - you know that I rarely cancel shows. I think I can count the number of cancelled shows I’ve had on one hand.

I always work things out and figure it out, and the show always goes on.

I had surgery last week. It was outpatient, and it was not serious. I took these words to heart, and pushed myself pretty hard to get back on my feet afterward.

Mistake.

I ended up having some pain and complications as a result, which made traveling, carrying gear, and holding a guitar while standing and singing incredibly unrecommended.

I love performing, I love singing, and I love connecting. It energizes and exhausts me at the same time. So to miss out on any opportunity - well, I was upset.

I went through a few years without performing around 2005. They were not so much fun. And I remember this feeling.

I came back to recording/performing/writing knowing that I have to be here. I have to create music to exist. I guess it’s in my DNA.

Canceling shows this weekend meant that I had to head home to my couch. I was forced to stay there and rest, and it was really hard. It sounds ridiculous and it sounds like pouting, but I was so disappointed.

I am usually described as an optimist, people notice my inner joy - and that’s truly who I am. And for some reason - my inner optimist was dealt a little blow this weekend. It was a small flashback to how I felt in 2005.

I wish I had used this weekend as an opportunity to write a bunch of new material, or answer emails, or write thank you notes for my birthday presents - to catch up - that’s what optimistic, driven, Kristen would have done.

Instead I used it to do puzzles, watch TV, and wallow. I did what 2005 Kristen would have done.

Of course, we’re all allowed a break - we need them, but for some reason, this ‘forced break’, really had me feeling…down.

And during this wallowing, the self-doubt monster set to work in my brain. What a jerk that thing is. My head was filled with nasty thoughts.

“You didn’t deserve those shows anyway.”“What kind of musician cancels at the last minute?”“Do you really think you’re good enough to share the stage with ______?” (insert any name of any hero here) “You’re a phony - no one believes your songs.”

Good times.

Anyway - I’m writing this not to make you feel bad for me, or hope that you’ll take pity on me.

I’m writing this because the cloud is lifting and the fog is clearing. And you know what that means?

My confidence is back.

I work my butt off to book great shows, write great songs and share stories. And I’m worth it.

That’s right - I’m worth it. I deserve the success that I have. I love what I do, and work hard every day to become a better musician, singer, performer and human.

The great thing about this clarity?

I’m back to my optimistic, hopelessly naive self, who believes in the good in everyone and sees the potential in all.

So - here’s my message to you today: you’re worth it.

You’re worth it.

You’re worth it.

Be grateful, be kind, and be yourself...it's who the world needs you to be. And please remember, you're worth it.

Have a great week, Kristen

IMG_8855
IMG_8855
Kristen Graves

© Kristen Graves 2015 | PO BOX 435 | Fairfield, CT 06824

Cart (0)