Oh let me go down old Cottage Row
Of days gone by San Francisco
Twilight looms and mystery blooms
Camaraderie with the redwood trees
And a reverie for the rising Moon

A few months ago I started teaching a class on Monday and Wednesday mornings down in the Fillmore Jazz District. It’s about a 20 minute walk from my place, and I was thrilled to be able to take my route through Cottage Row, a mini-park nestled in between two busy city streets. Twice a week I could sing to the five small redwood trees that inspired the bridge lyrics of my song, City Light.

Today they cut down the trees and I am heartbroken. No more redwoods on Cottage Row. I’m not sure why. Last May they each had a sign on them that said they would be removed. I called the Parks Department but never got an answer. Maybe they were diseased or dying, I don’t know. They looked healthy to me. The signs disappeared soon after and I was lulled into thinking the trees would be safe.

So here we are nine months later. I felt like crying this morning when I saw they were gone. Not much to sing about on Cottage Row right now. I am reminded of the impermanence of life and the pain that sometimes comes with change.

I guess I must admit to a love affair with trees. They have entered more than a couple of my songs, including a gentle ballad by Eve & Mare which opens with “My favorite thing to see is the wind waving through the trees.” It’s true. I can’t think of anything much finer.

So let’s sing once more to celebrate these beautiful trees. My heart is heavy today, but I will always love to think about them whenever I sing my song. And please, for me, go hug a tree!

Enjoy Peace on Earth, a new holiday song from Eve Fleishman.

To learn the history behind this song, read my story at The Standing “O” Project.

Three things you may not know about me:

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!

It’s been another adventurous year, full of surprises and delights. To show my appreciation, I’m offering a Holiday Sale on all my items.

$5 off everything (20-35% savings)!   Just click on images below to buy.

Full-Color Art Book

$20  Sale Price: $15

Book/CD Set

$28  Sale Price: $23 

Best Deal!

Peace or Drama CD

$15  Sale Price: $10

Green Means Go

$15  Sale Price: $10

Daddy’s Moonlight Alligator Boat Ride

$15  Sale Price: $10

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

Speaking of new friends, I managed to NOT get bit or thrown from my first-ever camel ride at the Pyramids.

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….

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!”

Peace or Drama,

Eve

www.EveFleishman.com

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 Art received 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.

Click here to hear the full radio show.

Click here to read the magazine article.

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!

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 Drama book/CD sets and postcards make perfect holiday gifts, and for this end-of-the-year blowout I’m extending the 2 for $50 deal.

Visit www.EveFleishman.com to purchase.

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

See www.EveFleishman.com for show details.