In January 2019 I’ll be recording an album that will dig deep into my stories in a way none of my other albums have. Who am I really? How do I love? What does my faith mean to me? How has where I’m from shaped me? What are my weaknesses and how do I break patterns? There are weavings throughout these songs of being a child, being a mother, being a friend, being a lover, and just being human. There’s an arrival that I’m feeling. It’s Modern Appalachia.

“Modern Appalachia” is the fusion of new and old; ancient and free. Originally conceived as a way to describe a music style or sound, it became much more over the last few years as I wrote songs for the project and settled back into my home state of North Carolina. It is a feeling; a little wild, a little old-fashioned. It’s a way of life; progressive, but rooted in long standing patterns. It’s a conversation about humanity and how we relate to each other and also to ourselves.

I’m really excited to hunker down at Echo Mountain, a beautiful, state-of-the-art recording studio on the edge of downtown Asheville, NC with a truly special group of musicians and heroes of mine; Jeff Sipe, Mike Seal and Daniel Kimbro. A long-time fan of Jeff Sipe, I went to hear his jazz-fusion trio in a local North Carolina club several years ago and they spoke straight to my heart. I barely slept that night! I knew that moment that their lush, emotive sound would be the perfect backdrop to my stories.

After recording over ten albums, I’m ready to truly invite folks in to the creation of this one. Welcome into my adventure!