Dan & Faith

Hello!

Springtime brings new life and new beginnings! We have been anxiously watching our fruit trees as they began budding out this year. It certainly feels like the blossoms are coming late. Most of our trees are fairly young, and it’s always a treat to see which are simply leafing out and which are producing blossoms. Faith was pretty much convinced that the peach trees were not going to blossom this year, but Dan saw the changes in the buds more clearly. As we walked the orchard on Friday afternoon, we saw the very first peach blossoms opening, and Saturday morning even more greeted the day! We were hoping we would get to see them before we hit the road, and they obliged at the last second. Many of the apple trees are coated with flower buds, and even the Asian pear trees have some buds this year! The farmer who hays our fields delivered us a truckload of (somewhat) composted cow manure which we spread around each tree to fertilize it (a rather, um, aromatic job!). The remainder of the compost got tilled into the garden patch. Once we’re back from our travels this month, it will be time to get the garden started. But first, some shows!

We’re delighted to be back at the Leo Coffeehouse in Norwood, OH on Sunday, May 11th! We have played this music series, hosted by the Queen City Balladeers, several times before. Each time we find a community of music lovers! We’re hosting the Songwriters Collaborative before the concert, starting at 5:15pm. This is open to any songwriters! Come and share a song with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques. The show itself starts at 6:40pm with Queen City Balladeers who have been at the Songfarmers Annual Gathering earlier in the weekend, followed by us, and the Oxford Folk Jazz quintet will close out the evening. The show is free.

Speaking of going back to familiar places, we’ll be the open mic feature at the Parish Center for the Arts open mic in Westford, MA on Sunday, May 25th. We have long considered this open mic to be our musical home. Dan ran sound there for many years while we lived in Massachusetts. Our host John Ferullo runs an incredibly welcoming open mic, and it will be a treat to spend the evening listening to friends old and new, and sharing songs with everyone. Doors open at 6pm, music starts around 6:30, we’ll likely go on somewhere around 8pm. Do come to listen to everyone! We love open mics because you never know when you’re going to hear something amazing there. John asks for a $5 donation for the PCA, and additionally passes a hat for the feature.

In between these two shows, we’ll be at the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) conference in Owensboro, KY from Thursday, May 15th through Sunday, May 18th. We’re hosting a song circle on Saturday afternoon, are playing in several late night private showcases throughout the weekend, and are hosting a private showcase room on Saturday night as well (filling in for a friend who could not attend). If you’ll be there, give us a shout! We’d love to touch base while we’re there.

We have several more reviews of our song, My Name Is George! From the College Radio Charts: “In a musical landscape where loud statements often drown out the quiet truths, Dan and Faith’s ‘My Name Is George’ from their 2024 album Who We Are is a masterclass in gentle defiance and profound humanity.” It’s not every day a song review makes us cry — in a good way! — but these folks see the whole story we’re telling, and the emotions behind it. You can read the full review here.

LA Weekly is a 47 year old weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles that was inspired by the Boston Phoenix and the Austin Sun. Jon Stojan from LA Weekly wrote, “Trans youth are facing an uphill battle. Every day, changing legislation puts their futures at risk. Amid a world of chaos, one song is breaking through, offering hope, acceptance, and encouragement to guide the way.” Here is his complete review.

Our albums Who We Are, Then and Now, Seeking, and Simple Grace are available from us at shows and on our website, through Bandcamp, or you can find them at iTunes and most other online music stores. Our music is also available streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

As always, you can find additional schedule information on our website. For additional content, follow us on Patreon. For more frequent news updates and information, check out our Facebook fan page.

To quote the review above from the College Radio Charts: “… folk music is still, at its best, the music of the people: raw, real, and rooted in the hope that understanding can follow storytelling.” Support your local folk musicians and the venues that host them!

Dan & Faith