The Dream Journal – December 2016

Hello!

We spent Thanksgiving down on Cape Cod with family and newfound friends. We christened our cousins’ new home with 22 humans and 4 dogs. One of the most fun parts of the holiday was the impromptu singalong, as we folks with instruments scrambled to figure out interesting chords for half-remembered songs, and Google filled in lyrics for all ages! It was silly, it was chaotic, and it was exactly what was needed on our day of Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?

We have played at and featured at many open mikes over the years, but to us, John Ferullo’s open mike at the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, MA always feels like home. So come home with us as we feature at the PCA Open Mike on Sunday, December 11th! Music starts at 6:30pm or so, and we’ll go on somewhere around 8pm. Come listen, come play! $5 entry, plus pass the hat for the feature.

There are some very talented songwriters in our local music scene. We celebrate this fact with the Serendipity Songwriters Session at Serendipity Cafe in Maynard, MA on Wednesday, December 14th. This month, we’re joined by Joanne Lurgio and Steven Pelland. The song topic this month, chosen by the November audience, is “Juniper Rose”. Stop by, have dinner, enjoy some tasty baked goods, listen to wonderful original music by terrific songwriters, and help choose the topic for January’s musicians. The music runs 7:30-9:30pm. Many thanks to Laura & Johnny at Serendipity Cafe for all their support!

There are many holiday traditions to choose from this time of year. One of our favorites is WICN DJ Nick Noble’s annual Live Holiday Show on The Folk Revival! We are looking forward to another year of live holiday song and revelry at the WICN studios in Worcester, MA on Thursday, December 15th. Nick’s show runs 7-11pm. Listen in the Worcester area at 90.5FM, or streaming live on the web at http://www.wicn.org. We’ll likely be on somewhere between 8 and 9pm, though one never knows for sure with live music. Want to be part of the live studio audience? Contact us, and we’ll get you the necessary information on parking, getting into the studio, etc.

We play many farmers markets over the summer, but we have never had the opportunity to play a winter market until now. Saturday, December 17th, we will play the Natick Farmer’s Market at their winter location, splitting the show with our friends Crowes Pasture (Monique Byrne and Andy Rogovin). The market runs 9am to 1pm at the Common Street Spiritual Center in Natick, MA. Stop by, stock up on holiday food, pick up some last minute craft gifts, and enjoy the music! And CD’s make wonderful stocking stuffers…

We’re back in Maynard, MA again for a brunch show at Serendipity Cafe on Sunday, December 18th. Downtown Maynard offers excellent shops for your local holiday shopping, and nothing starts a day of good shopping like a filling brunch. A savory crepe, a bowl of hearty oatmeal and a homemade English muffin — all go well with a side order of music! Brunch is served 8am-2pm, we play 11a-1pm.

Our last session of the Bolton Public Library Unplugged open mike for 2016 is at the Bolton Public Library in Bolton, MA on Tuesday, December 20th. It starts with a 2-song formal first round, then we pull the chairs into a circle and jam until we’re out of songs, out of steam, or tossed out by the cleaning crew! Want to share a new song about snow? A poem for the solstice? Or just looking for a relaxing place to get away from the crowds at the mall while you’re entertained by your talented neighbors? Stop by! Music starts at 7pmPiano players — please reply to this email if you wish to play, and we’ll be sure to bring a keyboard.

Our latest studio CD, Seeking, was the topic of a recent review at Bill Copeland’s Music News. “When [Dan and Faith] trade off on lead vocal, they create a sweet, building mystery, something that keeps the listener intrigued with where they are taking their song. When they come together in harmony, they weave the warmest tapestry of voice.” You can read the rest hereMany thanks to Bill Copeland for a wonderful review!

Our CDs, Seeking and Simple Grace, are available from us at our shows, on our website, or you can find them all at CD Baby, iTunes and most other online music stores. Seeking has been specially mastered for iTunes, which gives higher fidelity over standard iTunes recordings.

As always, you can find additional schedule information on our website, https://www.danandfaith.com. For more frequent news updates and information, check out our Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter (@danandfaith).

As we come to this darkest time of the year, keep the light of music in your heart. There is nothing so powerful in this world as voices lifted together in song.

Dan & Faith