Photography of this display, and album design: Woodward Design, Canada.
BAKHOOR © 2008, Lorelei Loveridge/OrderlyBazaar.com, SOCAN.
Bakhoor. Arabian incense. A swirl of colors and creations, songs and stories, personal journeys and people met along the way. It is my new CD. I’m proud of it, proud enough to shout it out to the world. It’s available at CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon.com and other retailers including one very jazzy UK brick and mortar shop that also deals in MP3’s: Piccadilly Records. I’m chuffed.
The album launch in November was at an arty cafe in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. On a severely foggy night, it was a comfortable space for the few left-behinds from the day, friends (of course), friends of friends, local arty celebrity types (including a world music DJ, a filmmaker specialized in refugee issues) but, oddly, no media. And I say “oddly” because I worked, hard, to get them on this event. I know, for a fact, it was something special, something Manchester has not seen the likes of at all, or if at all, not as of late. I only say this because I know that no one has lived my life. And this album is about a very unique life that I’ve lived.
Well, back to earth it is, because mainstream media ignored this, a few radio stations very enthusiastically supported this, and now begins the follow-up, the ‘rolling out’ of things. I’m going to call this the ‘Red Carpet Year’ or something. I love red carpets. I have several Afghan red carpets packed up in a safe place right now. This is 2009. I’m declaring it my year.
Why? Because 2008 was both good but extremely trying. Two management deals in phases of unfolding, but slowly because even these guys can’t figure out what’s going on…what with arts organizations cancelling their bookings until 2010! The music business is suffering along with my personal brokerage account. Yes, like a lot of people, I suffered some profound losses. Mostly to my sense of direction. Sense of stability. Almost to my sense of self. Okay, to that, too. But 2009, I have decided, as I dig into my very late university assignment (I am a master student of arts and cultural management with an Australian university), a corporate business/marketing/sponsorship plan for 2009, well…2009 is going to be MY year. I’m taking it back. I’m reclaiming my happiness, dammit, because money can’t buy peace. I had a LOT of money in my hands, earned all by yours truly, two years ago. I fretted about it as much as I do now while things are ‘gone south’.
I have decided upon 3 words to represent my goals and drive my behaviors this year. Ready for them?
PROACTIVITY – Put myself out there, hard and fast, and keep my promises by responding within 1-3 business days.
BALANCE – Have a life; marketing music can take over one’s life, and ruin the fun. I need inspiration. That comes from having balance.
PASSION – To borrow the words of a friend of mine, who spoke them when times in 2008 were tough: “Have more passion. Be more passionate about your art.” In other words, try harder. Don’t give up.
I may sip an Americano somewhere in the coming few days and refine those summaries, borrowed from another site called 3c World, formerly known (and this is my favored title for it) Expat Arts. However, the descriptions are raw and straight from this unfettered heart. I have been angsting. Instead, this year needs to be about action and a whole lot of self love.
Stay tuned. I’m back. Keep watch on the homepages of loreleiloveridge.com, Orderly Bazaar (eventually/soon it will function with its own role separate from merely promoting my music) and MySpace, too, as that’s where you can track events, shows, radio ads, etc. Here…is where I’ll ruminate a little more loosely. Have a great year. JFDI!
PS. On a slightly more somber note, and if you dive into my blog on Orderly Bazaar or MySpace, you’ll see I had a moment of rage today over what’s happening in Gaza…this album is ‘timely’ because it addresses a good number of the current issues of our time, and current events in the Middle East as well. Press release enclosed:
Lorelei Loveridge lived for 11 years in Saudi Arabia, pre and post 9/11, and loved it. She experienced religious zealots, compound invasions, a terrorist chase, earthquake, tsunami, war in Lebanon, crazy drivers, nutty expats and more, and survived to tell the tales in story and song. Her physical, personal, and musical journey is documented in Bakhoor, a 4-year, 15-song album project recorded in India, Canada and Saudi Arabia. It features some of the finest players from across the globe including Brian Hughes (producer of Loreena McKennitt), Harry Manx and Lester Quitzau.
A contemporary acoustic songwriter who draws comparisons with Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell, Loveridge pairs a passionate political sense with an understanding of the complex personal stories that go beyond politics. Loveridge and Canadian producer Rob Hewes have woven the sounds of tabla, oud, darbuka, Tibetan overtone chants, violin, bazouki, Latin/African/slide blues guitar into a richly-textured, multicultural tour-de-force.
While “Home is Where the Heart Is”—a song about the pain of a mother and her Palestinian daughter—is the first single off of the album, U.S. songwriter and guitar legend Dick Wagner says this of Loveridge and Bakhoor: “Her vocals are hauntingly emotive, her songs are beautifully structured folk/pop creations and her musicians are world-class interpreters of her musical vision…The brilliant ‘Oh, India’ sets the tone and atmosphere for this musical journey…a journey you won’t forget. I personally love Lorelei’s music and recommend it to all seekers of sophisticated yet accessible music.”
“Lovely voice…be very proud of where you have taken your music.- David Kershenbaum (Producer, Tracy Chapman)
CD launch event reviewed, too, by Annastacia Simon:
December 5, 2008
“Having waited months to experience Lorelei Loveridge’s launch for her album Bakhoor, I think you can imagine emotions were running high as I entered the Nexus Art Café. (NQ Manchester) Ever open minded, I actually had doubts when she announced her chosen venue. I found it hard to imagine Lorelei and her music meshing with the arty but sterile environs of the Nexus. (I’m not intending to give bad marks to Nexus here, the place is truly great. It’s lounge like, arty, and perfectly suits having a wide range of eclectic goings-on including ever changing art exhibitions) Well, I was wrong. As I came down the stairs and into the café/lounge itself I have to say I couldn’t have imagined a much better environment for Lorelei (and friends) to flourish in. The busy folk at the café had transformed the once boxy but colourful open space into a lush and spicy den of creativity. There were massive bean bags on the floor and soft settees and couches placed here and there. Sitting in one, I realised I might not be getting up again for some time – such was the comfort of the furnishings. So I took that moment to look around and absorb and be amazed. The best description I can come up with is that it was like being caught up in a perpetual desert sunset, all warm and shadowed with round textures in every direction. The environment was completed with an imposing screen which displayed a slideshow of photographs of Lorelei and the people and places that helped strengthen her muse.
When I finally found my feet again, I made my way to Lorelei herself. She looked up at me as I approached and kissed both her cheeks, and the smile that she gave me could have melted Thatcher’s heart. I asked her how she felt, and she narrowed her eyes for a thoughtful moment.
‘So So’ was her response. ( Note: she actually said ‘So So’ I think in Arabic, but I have no memory for things; I cannot even spell, so apologies…ha ha.) I had to stifle a bit of a smirk now and I let her words echo in my mind. So So. I had never seen Lorelei more alive, more confident or more beautiful than in that moment as she pursed her lips and said So So.
More people began to gently filter in as the café’s younger patrons (who had probably been there since school let out) either sunk back into the shadows or left for the night. I spent some time capturing the general ambience of everything, for there was no shortage of interesting vantages to explore with my lens. Finally the MC welcomed everyone and invited us to enjoy the guest acts and Rosie Smith was up first.
Act One – Rosie
I had only seen Rosie a couple of times before the launch night, and in both times she had been doing supporting vocals and gently agitating her bongos for Lorelei. So to be honest, I had no idea what to expect from this young lady. I watched as a girl took to the stage, with her gorgeous (yet understated) scarf and her acoustic guitar. Then out came the sweet and mature tones of a woman, as Rosie sang and entranced us with her excellent guitar playing. Immediately I wanted to sway in this breeze she had manifested and lay in deep green grasses as the sun rolled over. She reminded me of ice cream on hot summer evenings, and big grey rain puddles for splashing in when autumn comes. Simply put – Really impressed!
Act Two – Lisa B.
When Lisa B climbed the steps and opened her mouth, to say poetry came out is a pathetic understatement. This was like poetry in the form of great blue-green icebergs, massive and swollen. She can, and will…move you. Whether she is murmuring or shouting. Ridiculously, the best compliment I can give her now is to say that I’m lost for words over Lisa B’s words. In the way she makes pictures in my mind and heart and delivers her prose , which is sometimes bittersweet and bruised. My huge regret is that I didn’t get a chance to buy her book at the launch – but Ill be correcting that mistake with much haste.
Rock on, Lisa B .Act Three – Zoe Mulford
Lucky for me, I have not only heard Zoe’s work prior to Lorelei’s launch but I also had the pleasure of being moved to tears as she played one of her songs, Elegy, right next to me at the Nexus. You could say…I’m a fan. I blush and get giddy and try to think of a thousand things to say when I’m in her presence, and how silly is this really? Because as much as I try to form her up as this Folkstar in my head, she is really just one of the most genuinely sweet and human natured lasses you could meet. Back where I come from, they would call her ‘Good People’ and its true. During her set, Zoe displayed not only her instrumental skills (I love it when she plays banjo!) but also a confident and resounding voice coupled with an extremely familiar and gratifying song/storytelling style.
By now the atmosphere had a bit of electricity running thru it. The lights were low, the energy was high and Lorelei was about to climb those steps and assume her rightful position as Lead Act – the very reason we had all gathered in the Nexus with our tea and coffee’s and Iccle Biccies. (still just 10 Pence!) She stood like a whisper blown ember, her eyes glowing with depth and readiness. Her expression…how can I explain her expression ? It is the sort of look that says ‘Hold unto your asses, here comes the wave.’
With a striking of her hand against strings she welcomed us her audience into the inner sanctum of her creativity. She beckoned us to sit by the fire with her, to listen, to know what she knows. To find peace within ourselves, and simply breathe. The music swelled, and we rode that wave until nearly 11pm.I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t even know if it’s possible for me to give you a song by song interpretation of Lorelei’s music. It’s the sort of thing you need to witness first hand, with her voice stroking your mind like a desert wind and the skilful strumming and picking of her guitar meshing with your heartbeat. I can interpret for you the fact that she is gifted, extremely gifted. Lorelei Loveridge weaves song stories about the things she has witnessed – physically and emotionally. Even if you aren’t moved by the music itself (which thankfully I am..) you can appreciate that she goes thru life with her eyes and heart wide open, and that as long as there is breath in her lungs and blood and passion in her veins, she’s going to sing to us about it.
You may find yourself wondering where her sound comes from. Where does anyone pull inspiration from? From love, loss, lust, injustice, celebration, even surprise. The wonderful human heart is virtually endless in its supply of inspirational capacity. All of the above is the songwriter’s playground. Lorelei Loveridge finds her muse in familiar subjects, (politics, feminism, world events, etc) but delivers them with the passion which can only be wrought out of a genuine heart. There was never a moment when this skill was better explored than at Lorelei’s Bakhoor launch – save for when you open your copy of her album and fill your ears with its poetic intricacy. Within her songs and music are the smiles which touched her. The people and places that became her heart’s home and will remain with her forever. The tears, sorrows and the worries. The voice of Lorelei Loveridge which had waited for years to be let out of her head and into Ours.
Around 11 o’clock I stood around the now emptying Nexus café. The audience for the most part was gone, and those that remained helped to disassemble the bits and pieces. Wires to be wound and chairs to be carried back to tables. I stood there feeling a good many things. I felt awe and satisfaction. A slight panging of regret that time had moved so swiftly. (what’s that they say about time and having fun?) But as I looked at Lorelei with that smile on her face and the humbleness she carries so well, I knew that the biggest feeling I felt…was Proud.”
Song lyrics from two songs that deal with the ongoing Palestinian crisis:
Not Like Us © Lorelei Loveridge/OrderlyBazaar.com, 2008.
http://www.loreleiloveridge.comRaze down those olive trees
Bulldoze those houses, please
Build the wall and damn them all
Raze down those olive treesFire on the boys with stones
Send all those bullets home
Lie to the world and deny you killed a schoolgirl
Fire on the boys with stonesPoint the finger now
Suicide bombers wreak a living hell
Lock the jails up tight
Breed the next generation’s will to fightRe-draw the borders
Re-create law and order
Speak not with words
But with mightFor they’re the enemy—terrorists, terrorists
For they preach hatred—not like us, not like us
For they’re religious zealots—terrorists, terrorists
They’ll never have this land—not like us, not like usRaze down those olive trees
Bulldoze those houses, please
Build the wall and damn them all
Raze down those olive treesFor they’re the enemy—terrorists, terrorists
For they preach hatred—not like us, not like us
For they’re religious zealots—terrorists, terrorists
They’ll never have this land—not like us, not like usHome is Where the Heart Is © Lorelei Loveridge/OrderlyBazaar.com, 2008
http://www.loreleiloveridge.comYasmin, Yasmin, where’s your man
Is he locked in a jail in Jerusalem
A stone’s throw away from hope
Tell me, Yasmin, will you goHome is where the heart is
But your mother is calling you
Home for a day of rest
What good will martyrdom do
What good will martyrdom doYasmin, Yasmin, what will he get
Freedom or ten years instead
And if he goes away for long
Pray, tell who will keep you both strongHome is where the heart is
But your mother is calling you
Home for a day of rest
What good will martyrdom do
What good will martyrdom do‘You can ink your feet with blood in the street
Fall with the walls when the bombs come down
You can say you were there when the world didn’t care
But when it’s all said and done, will the war be won
Without words of reason, without someone to teach them
That home is where the heart is and we all need oneYasmin, Yasmin, there’s your man
Locked in a jail in Jerusalem
A stone’s throw away from hope
Tell me, Yasmin, will you go nowHome is where the heart is
But your mother is calling you
Home for a day of rest
What good will martyrdom do
What good will martyrdom do
Home is where the heart is
Home is where the heart is
