1. My full name is Susan Eve Vance Fleishman.
2. I live on California Street in San Francisco.
3. I once grabbed Bill Clinton by the wrist, touched Samuel L. Jackson on the arm, and whacked Winona Judd on the back.
Now that we’re more familiar with each other, I have another little morsel for you on this day-after Cyber Monday:
Become my “Tip Jar Hero,” and I will send you a FREE CD of your choice. A $5 subscription gives you access to exclusive interviews and live recordings of some pretty remarkable artists at the Standing “O” Project.
So that’s it! Free music from Eve. And if you live here in SF, come join me tonight on California Street as I debut my song Peace on Earth at Grace Cathedral!
I’m proud to announce City Light, a new show with new songs (as well as some oldies but goodies). It’s kinda like the sequel to my Peace or Drama show – replete with stories and images to evoke wonder and stir memories.
I recently flew to North Carolina to perform this show at the Storytelling & Arts Center of the Southeast, in a small town close to where my mother grew up. I’ve been thinking a lot about “place” lately – most of my new songs are about places or states of mind. It’s been well over a year since my big move from Nashville to San Francisco, and things are starting to make sense for me here. Yes, I’m beginning to embrace this place (sounds like a good song title to me)!
In honor of my latest musical endeavors, I’ve put out a City Light EP with three brand new songs. Featuring Steven Strauss (a San Francisco native) on ukulele, these songs capture my longing to find a sense of place in the big city. With new friends like Steven, things are looking and sounding good!
This CD is currently available through my shows or my website only. Click the pink rainbow image above to purchase. Or if you haven’t visited me yet, come buy a CD at one of my upcoming shows!
On October 4th, I’ll be performing at the Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco. For you locals, this is a show you won’t want to miss! Come by and say hello. I also have a couple more October dates in the Bay Area with my old friend from Nashville days, Joe Rathbone. Can’t wait to perform with him again. Click on Events for details.
And finally, I’ve become a Featured Musician at Standing “O” Project and I’m inviting you to join me in this very cool, grassroots effort to ignite the singer-songwriter and fan community like never before. Take the short Video Tour and see yours truly featured for several seconds!
Well, my 15 seconds of fame are up. Time to get back to work. But I’ll be thinking about you, wherever you are. To quote a line from my song, City Light: “Won’t you come a little closer, friend? Let me feel your light tonight….”
Each week my new friend Steven and I have been getting together, pulling songs out of a hat and seeing how well we can pull them off. I have been calling these sessions, Busking in the Living Room. We keep waiting for coins to start raining in from my third story window overlooking California Street here in San Francisco. So far only car horns punctuate our rhythms and melodies.
Steven Strauss plays a mean ukulele; I’m really liking how the sound of that instrument blends with my voice. I’ve been recording some of our efforts, and enjoy reliving the adventurous meanderings through our favorite jazz standards. Sure, there are flubs – but there’s also this sense of intimacy and lightheartedness that often gets lost when you’re trying to entertain a crowd.
It’s a sad fact that most of us performers care too much what people think and too carefully cradle our fragile egos, robbing ourselves and listeners of our best unbridled performances. This is always my goal when I sing in public – to let go and be free with my voice – to act as if no one is listening. That is singing for the pure joy of it.
So I have posted some of these songs for you, warts and all. I hope the intimacy and warmth of the music makes up for any snags you might hear along the way. Just close your eyes and imagine you’re here in the living room with Eve ‘n’ Steven!
Two new videos posted from my gig in Cairo, Egypt last month: Fly Me to the Moon and Summertime. What a thrill to perform in a foreign land and jam with local talents, Roberto Rashad and Shrief Galal at the Cairo Jazz Club. We did some Eve originals and threw a few jazz standards into the mix. It really was a hot show! Hello out there to all my new Egyptian friends!
Camel Ride to Paris
Eve's new friend
Speaking of new friends, I managed to NOT get bit or thrown from my first-ever camel ride at the Pyramids.
Street busking in Paris
And speaking of bucket list events, I managed to NOT get thrown from the bridge as I performed in front of Notre Dame on a cool rainy Parisian day. An old Frenchman did toss me a couple of coins and sang along to La Vie En Rose.
So many priceless memories on a frenetic trip that took me from Egypt to Switzerland to Tour de France to Paris. Whew. Wait a minute…..I forgot to sing “the hills are alive” in the Swiss Alps! Guess I’ll just have to go back.
Enjoy what’s left of your summer and may your adventures abound. What’s next for me? The Moon!
Did you know I moved to San Francisco? Why, yes – little cable cars and such. A whole new landscape to explore. New music is percolating, too. In the meantime, I’ll be flying back to Nashville soon to teach a Song Meditations workshop at the downtown public library. This combines my two passions: yoga and song.
It’s geared toward songwriters and performers, but the tools are valuable for anyone who wants to free up the mind and get those creative juices flowing. So come by and see me if you’re in Nashville (details below).
I’m also scheduling private yoga sessions with former (and new) students. Get your Viniyoga fix people! Just email me if you’d like to set something up.
By the way, I have to tell you how excited I was to perform with a big band for the Jazz Fest in New Mexico. I followed all my pre-show warm ups and yoga techniques and they worked! What an amazing experience to be on that stage. Here’s a little taste of what was “going on.”
You can catch the highlights of that incredible night here or watch full songs on my YouTube channel.
Finally, there’s a chance I might be performing in Cairo, Egypt this summer. Who knows? I WILL be getting on a camel – that is certain. I’d better meditate on that a little….
My great-grandmother in Cairo, 1914
So many ways to connect with the world, so little time! I hope to connect with you soon, wherever you may be. Drop me a line or come visit a workshop, class or show. Or just say hello!
Oh yes, the link for my Music City peeps: Song Meditations with Eve Fleishman at the Nashville Public Library on Saturday, May 19th. “Imagine you’re on a camel, sauntering through the desert….now sing!”
It’s been over a month since the grand finale concert with the art, but vivid images from that night keep swirling in my head: The crisp, cool evening in Boston. The warmth of the audience. The amazing sound and lighting at David Friend Recital Hall on the Berklee College of Music campus. My view from the stage – knowing it would be the last time I would see those 13 paintings together in the same room.
The memories are all so rich. The life of an artist can often seem the opposite of “rich,” but I can tell you that the rewards of this music/art collaboration go far beyond monetary. That said, I’m thrilled to report that all the paintings sold at Berklee and we were able to raise nearly $6,000 for the charity, PeaceTones.
Luckily, the Berklee show was captured on video. For the first (and only) time, I have all 13 songs and images of the paintings represented on film in brilliant, vivid color. If you missed the show – or want to relive it – you can catch the highlights of that amazing night here or watch full songs on my YouTube channel.
In addition to all the traveling shows, Peace or Drama, A Journey Through Music and Artreceived national attention through several radio interviews and magazine articles. I’m excited to share the latest: featured guest on Art of the Song radio program and a full-page article called “The Art of the Road” written by yours truly in Berklee Today magazine.
I am so grateful to have done 28 shows with the art – those paintings are now like old friends and I’m glad they all found happy homes. I learned so much from each artist, as well as from all the supporters I encountered along this journey. Thank you for making my life richer!
Eve sings “Not A Day Goes By” – photo by Keith Harrelson
If you haven’t heard, the big hurrah with the 13 paintings is finally happening this December! After a year of performances with this amazing art, a very special art auction fundraiser for PeaceTones takes place on 12/16/11 at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Returning to my alma mater makes this all the more special – pianist Joseph S. Smith (former Berklee classmate and touring partner) joins me once more, and we’re honored to share the stage with Jimmy Cobb (Miles Davis’ drummer).
After almost 30 shows in 12 different states, this project has reached far more people than I ever thought possible. Thank you for your encouragement, for buying the books/CDs and for bidding on the art.
You can still nab your favorite painting, even if you can’t make it up to Boston! Online bidding continues through December 16 and highest bidders will be kept apprised of the live auction in real time that night.
And more exciting news: my book is now on Amazon! As always, you can get the best price through my website, which means more donation dollars for PeaceTones.
The Peace or Dramabook/CD sets and postcards make perfect holiday gifts, and for this end-of-the-year blowout I’m extending the 2 for $50 deal.
Ok, now that I sound like a car dealership, I’m going to wish you the best this season and hope that I meet you somewhere down the road. To all the artists, musicians and fans who have supported me in this project, I give my sincerest thanks. It’s been a wild ride!
Peace or Drama,
Eve
East Coast Tour Dates 2011:
December 11 @ 7 pm – Bistro 150 – Oak Ridge, NC
December 13 & 14 @ 7 pm – Studio Luloo – Oaklyn, NJ
December 16 @ 7 pm – PeaceTones Art Auction – Boston, MA
December 17 @ 7 pm – The Overlook Mansion B & B – Reading, PA
December 18 @ 7:30 pm – The Salon Series – Philadelphia, PA
December 19 @ 12:30 pm – School Workshop – Reading, PA
Today a bird of brilliant blue chirped hello to me in the back garden.
Western Bluebird
A new bird to me, one that I look forward to getting to know. It reminded me it’s time to share a song that’s been flitting around in my head lately. It’s called “Leavin’ Tennessee.”
So it’s true, I’ve recently moved away from Music City – a move that caught me by surprise. My husband Mark got offered a job in San Francisco, and within a couple of weeks he was already gone. Even though I stayed behind another month, everything seemed to happen at lightning speed – we sold our house, found an apartment in the city and said our goodbyes.
In my heart, I haven’t quite left yet. Sometimes I still feel disoriented in this new place and wonder when I’ll be going back home. When I first found out we were moving, I was immensely sad to leave Nashville – a city where I’ve been able to stretch my wings as a musician and cultivate an identity for myself and my work.
I’m past the sad phase now. Too busy with unpacking and the never-ending chores of settling in. I’m also excited about the mystery of what lies ahead – opportunities for work, the people I’ll meet.
But I do remember those first pangs of letting go, when I sat down at the piano and meandered my way through a new song. Here’s a live recording of Leavin’ Tennessee from that moment in time. It’s unpolished and tentative; some of the words are hard to hear, but the emotion and sentiment are definitely clear.
No doubt I’ll be flying back and forth, continuing to share my music. Just like these fine feathered friends that comfort me, wherever I may be.
Leavin’ Tennessee by Eve Fleishman 2011 (read lyrics below; click link above to hear song)
No more fireflies and chickadees
What’s the new bird, blue bird talk to me
Will you come by my window
and say hello
I’m leavin’ Tennessee
and I’m not sure what that means for me
I know it’s time to go
Forgive me if I’m slow
in leavin’ Tennessee
I’m leavin’ Tennessee
with seven years of memories
From summer sun to snow
the cadence and the flow
will stay inside of me
One more night at the Ryman
and I’ll close my eyes and
be on that stage
Take a walk through the park
See the Parthenon at dark
a ghostly haze
And leavin’ Tennessee,
I wonder what’s ahead of me
To friends I leave behind
you’re in my heart and mind
you’ll always be with me
Should I write a haiku
to the Pretty Moon
to follow me once more
down this lonesome corridor
yes, I’ve been here before
And I’m sure tomorrow brings
a beautiful surprise for me
I know I’ll be alright
just give me this night
to mourn
As a kid, I remember mistakenly singing: “This Land is your Land, This Land is my Land, from California to the New York Highlands…” (channeling my Scottish roots, perhaps?)
Growing up in Florida, I had no real sense of what I was singing about. That was until my father led us on several cross-country sojourns in the Big Blue Van. This was no minivan, mind you, but a no-frills rattly Ford with a gear shift like a semi truck and a bed in the back (built by Dad) with storage below. The van was huge – probably the size of one of those New York “Highland” apartments.
Exactly 30 years ago this summer, we made the trek from the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters, only in reverse. I don’t remember being road weary (all of 10 years old); I just remember marvels such as tumbling down the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, hopping stones in the creek bed at Yellowstone, and scaring Mom with a life-like coiled clay rattler that my brother and I picked up in some western tourist trap.
This July I had a chance to revive my cross-country adventures (this time in the driver’s seat), by setting out on a 23-day music/art tour. My friend, pianist Joe Smith, left his home near Philly and joined me in Nashville. We loaded up the car – 13 paintings, keyboard, bench, amp, mics, boxes of merch to sell (books, CDs) – and hit the road!
The Great Salt Lake
Joe kept us going over 6,550 miles with theme songs for each location (listening to the fabulous Book of Mormon musical while driving through Utah was definitely a highlight).
23 days and no bed in the back of my Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. Joe and I were grateful and surprised by the kindness of friends and strangers who offered a place to stay along the way. Give me a patch of floor for my Aerobed, and I will sing you a song! We were welcomed with open arms as well as prancing paws of numerous pets (dogs, cats and even a parrot named Mumbles).
It is fitting that we started our tour around the 4th of July. We were out to celebrate this great land!
How many miles to Elko?
Joe had never been out west and I was determined to show him the sights, even at turbo speed. Our concert schedule meant that we often had limited time between stops. We breezed through the Grand Canyon in about an hour, cruised past the Great Salt Lake, and hit the slots in Las Vegas for 12 minutes.
Yes, in only 12 minutes we lost $35!
Vegas, baby!
Perhaps we would’ve hit the jackpot had we stayed one minute more. You see, my Lucky 13 streak continued: we left Tennessee and traveled through 13 states (AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, CO, WY, UT, NV, CA, AZ, OK, AR) to play 13 gigs with 13 songs and 13 paintings. How weird is that? If this number keeps randomly appearing, I might have to take up Blackjack!
I have been lucky enough to live all over the United States in my adult years, and I relished the opportunity to perform in my old haunts (Houston, San Francisco) as well as some new ones (Boulder, Los Angeles, Taos, Santa Fe). The vistas were incredible, but it’s the people we encountered that made the biggest impact. Thank you for listening to the stories and the songs, thank you for exploring this art, and thank you for following me on this journey!
Check out this video for scenes from the summer tour:
