UPDATE 12/24/20: The album is here! As of December 24th, My Favorite Things was released on SoundCloud featuring the sublime contributions of musicians Kerry Politzer, Dan Shuman, Matt Sherwin and Morgan Siem; producer, Bennett Paster; engineer, David Morgan; and visual artist, Linda Hurley; along with yours truly. You can listen to the music we co-created HERE. We hope that you receive this holiday gift with love and inspiration and can tell what a joyful experience it was for us to transmit it.

The album is done but is still being paid for. Your support of this fundraiser will make sure everyone who gave their loving attention to this work will be compensated for their contribution and will make it possible for us to continue sharing independent creative projects without undue sacrifice.

In the spirit of this project, the music will continue to be accessible to all free of charge throughout the holiday season. After January 6th, it will be available for download but continue to be free of charge to supporters of this fundraiser at any level.

Thank you so much for your support and for being part of this vision.

It's My First Holiday Album

For many years I've thought of putting together a little collection of holiday tunes. But this seems to be the year that my self doubt is no match for my desire to connect, share a little something, and celebrate being alive.

It's been years since I sang regularly in public. And in the intervening years I've fallen in love with many another pastime, come to appreciate quiet and relative solitude, and downsized in order to tend to and nourish the subtle and small things. At times the world has felt so full of meaning and beauty that finding the right words or expression for any of it seemed hopeless. But in the current moment that hardly seems the point.

This year, I'd like to make that little holiday album without concern for the perfect song or the perfect idea or the perfect amount of lead time. I just want to sing because I don't want to not sing anymore. I want to sing in gratitude for all the friends who have asked me to provide vocals over the years and given me the opportunity to remember how soothing and empowering and simply joyful it can be to make sound for its own sake and in community. And I want to sing in gratitude for all the friends (you know who you are) who were or are every bit as shy or doubtful as I and still chose the mantra "I'm afraid and I'm doing it anyway." If you have ever challenged yourself to write a song a day for a year, or started a podcast in defiance of your inner critic, or started a business despite harboring a more limited view of your capabilities, this album that I'm making is for and because of you.

What I've got my sights set on is a modest holiday themed mini-album of 5 or 6 tunes, all covers, lovingly produced with the help of some of the most gifted musicians I'm blessed to know (Kerry Politzer on piano, Dan Shuman on bass, Matt Sherwin on guitar and drums, and Morgan Siem and Matt on background vocals) as well as a gifted producer (Bennett Paster) and talented engineer (David Morgan). $4000 will make it possible for me to pay these wonderful people for their time, allow me to bring this first sweet little dream to fruition sustainably, and encourage me to continue to share projects like this with you and to produce creative work that lives and breathes in the world.

I firmly believe that one of the best ways to invest in a more vibrant, thoughtful, beautiful and free-thinking society is to support the work of independent artists. This particular project may not be an ambitious undertaking, but it feels bold in context as it's a first step I'm taking in the direction of many new, or newly revisited, things. May your participation bring you joy and inspire you to take bold steps in whichever direction your heart longs to go.

With love,

Tara

My Favorite Things (2020)

My First Solo Album