This is what I have been up to instead of traveling and playing shows.

one of a kind centerpieces!

handmade boutonnieres!

cutesy letterpressed invites…thanks to dreyer press in Spokane!

wrist corsages for the mamas!

And next week I have three shows on the sched with the great David Bazan and his fantabulous band. I can’t wait to open these three shows (missoula, spokane and bellingham). Every show I’ve opened for Bazan has been a wonderful experience and a dream come true. It’s crazy opening for someone that I’ve listened to for so long. I remember one time when my brother and his ex-girlfriend broke up. We took a trip to portland and listened to Control and Achilles Heel back to back, over and over again for the whole five hours. It hurt so good. His newest album is absolutely fascinating, wonderful and has a gut-aching goodness similar to all of his previous releases. I guarantee you will be fond of it.

hope to see you at a show! thanks for reading, as always.

My set happened at the Belltower also, an old church that has been renovated into a event/venue facility. High ceilings, stained glass, thick etherial reverb and pews for chairs all added to the wonderful vibe. I played at 5pm so it was still light out and I could see each bright face in the audience gazing towards me. I knew as I sang the first notes of my beginning song, that it was going to be a genuinely good feeling performance.

The audience was with me during every song and even in between songs. I felt like I could talk to them and they even laughed at my silly remarks! Not to mention their applause sounded huge in the room with so much natural reverb. I felt confident enough to share a few new songs that I haven’t played out yet and I even got an encore at the end of the set. Boy that felt great.

Sometimes I don’t believe in myself, even just a little bit. And I need the help of other people to show that they believe in me to start believing in myself again. This weekend I got that help I was really aching for.

So, thanks Larson and Bethany Hicks (and all the other festival volunteers) and everyone who came to watch my set this weekend. I so deeply appreciate it and am so excited for this festival to continue in the future. It was such a great expression of the music community in the Northwest.

For a moment, the thought of earth escapes me.
As I drift, I imagine a dwelling above this cloudy canvas.
Our craft will float till it finds home and then quietly
Glide onto one of it’s many arial decks.
Perhaps, I have seen it in a dream or a motion picture.

These days I am full and rich in my earth-bound footing.
Walking across a stained tapestry of hue and line.
But today, between these time zones, this heavenly window
This dreamscape expanse…
It swallows up my soul with it’s horizon-lined nothingness.

(a little bit of writing from my travel to portugal last month.)

Here’s a song. I wrote it over a year ago. It has been anchored in my harbor ever since I wrote it. Always unsure of it’s sailing capabilities…pretty nonetheless. Very inspired by Damien Jurado’s last album I assume…as I wrote it during a time where I listened to nothing else!

Enjoy!

In other news, I won a Sommy for Best Singer-songwriter! Thanks for voting for me. I feel really honored and excited. Unfortunately, I was in Portugal when the ceremony happened and wasn’t able to receive the prize in person, but my brother accepted it on my behalf. He told me his speech went like this…”Karli’s in Portugal, she’s very thankful.” Not much more to say really!! I love Spokane and that we have our own little awards ceremony with dress-code, red-carpet and guest artists. So fun.

Also, I have some shows on the horizon that I just couldn’t resist. Haha, so much for not performing. (: I’m playing the Birds on a Wire folk festival in Pullman, Washington put on by Stereopathic. There’s a great lineup for that and tickets are going very fast. So be sure to consider making the trip. www.birdsonawirefest.com

In April I will be playing some shows as well in Missoula, Spokane and Bellingham with a certain indie-rock icon. It’s not totally confirmed…I will post details when it is. But that will be exciting and a good chance to start playing some new material.

That’s all for now…happy spring days!

and here’s a photo of me and my lovely dear!

Enjoy!

So, this is just a friendly reminder to vote for the Sommies!! http://thesomshow.com/som/ballet

Magnolia Trees

May hope fill my lover’s heart, that we again will meet
Under blooms of magnolia trees.

May joy fill his longing heart, alone under sheets so grim
That one day and soon my love
We will meet again.

Though it’s dark in this house, a new day brings new light
And the chance that the form of my love
is in sight.

The recording of the song is from a live show I played with my brother, Zac Fairbanks at a wonderful venue in Boston called Club Passim. I guess Bob Dylan used to play there, and many other great performers.

Almost two years ago I lived in a really cute house with lots of neat furniture and I had a great job. I quit my job and  sold all of my stuff in a garage sale, except for two antique dressers that my grandparents gave me. After being on my own for three years, I moved back in with my parents and my little brother into a tiny bedroom where I could barely fit the stuff I had leftover after the garage sale. Since then, I have been scraping by through art projects, design work and playing shows. It has been incredible. I have seen so much, met so many people and gotten my music out to thousands and thousands of people. Blessings and provisions have been abundant. My community of friends and family have been so encouraging to me.

This past fall I made a conscious effort to step back and assess where I am at. Something I think every artist should do and keep doing. So many bands just go pedal to the metal for years without taking time to evaluate things. In turn, they drown out the opportunity for creative approaches and often burn out becoming angry at the world.

I’ve decided to take a different approach to music. I’m sure this approach will quickly morph and become something different, but for now, here it is…

1. No shows for a while. I need to emotionally get back on my feet for performing my music. There are things I want to work on to become a better performer and those are things that need to be worked out in my heart, not on the stage.

2. Writing, lots of writing. I’m going to be posting new songs on this blog at least once a month. I would love feedback. I want to become a better songwriter and explore different voices and nuances in my songs.

3. Rock band. I’ve joined a band where I am not the lead singer and it’s really fun and carefree feeling for me. I’ve longed to play music with a group of people that are all equally committed to the project. I’ve never had that before with my music. I’m learning a ton from Davey Ingersoll,  former lead singer of Loudermilk and Gosling, who is the leader of the band. He writes incredibly inspiring songs, is really seasoned with directing bands and is a lot of fun to work with. I just may be playing a completely new instrument, which my dad rolls his eyes at, but I’m loving it.

2010 is time for change and new adventures and most likely some of the same adventures I’ve been having. Please don’t think I’m giving up or dropping out or that I’m angry and bitter. Nope. Just trying to be creative and do what’s best with the gifts and relationships I’ve been given.

I am playing one more show, not sure when more will come after. There will be more, just not for a while…

January 25th • The Blvd. • w/ A. A. Bondy • 7pm • $8

Keep coming back to hear new songs!

sincerely,

Karli