Demo: "I Had A Bird" from LAST REQUEST (Patreon)

Good morning, friends,

In December, I performed a three-night run of a brand new one-woman musical monologue called LAST REQUEST, written by Peter Nelson. The story goes like this: Katie Fitgerald's mother has stage IV cancer and has come home to die. She says to her caregiver daughter, "You write songs; you should write a musical about my life." 

"I play folk songs," says Katie, "I don't know how to write Broadway songs or show tunes." But Katie's mother, who is renowned for making up games to take Katie's mind off of her troubles, insists that Katie can do it, and so, in her way, Katie does. She honors her mother's last request.

What unfolds is a story of enduring love, humorous and life-altering intersections, and revelations about the father Katie never knew.

We offered LAST REQUEST as a staged reading, which means I performed the text on-book and played the songs on guitar all from a single mic center stage. Slides of Katie's young mother, her father, landscapes, notable landmarks and subjects relevant to the 1970s were projected on a nearby screen.

Being new work, LAST REQUEST is still in its workshop phase. Our audiences were deeply moved in some parts, and in others, a bit confused. Peter invited their feedback and received many emails, which he'll consider and use to fine-tune the production. He is looking for more places to put it up this spring.

As a storyteller and musician, I was deeply challenged to perform a work that wasn't "set" yet. Peter gave me freedom to massage lines and structure in minor ways, but we saw the larger contour of the work differently, and that created some tension for me. Even more challenging, however, was the music. Peter had written all the songs on piano. He charted them for acoustic guitar but the voicings were so complex I literally crumbled in tears, my hands spasming, as I attempted to play them. These were not the songs a folksinger character would write -- they were too complex -- and I almost quit out of frustration. But as any actor knows, the text is just a template, a skeleton. The art is in creative interpretation, in embodiment. Without sacrificing the complexity of the songs, I simplified the voicings so that I could deliver them as I thought Katie Fitzgerald might, and as Tracy Grammer was able. 

Pushing through paid off in spades. The result: I am a better, stronger guitar player now. I finally got my head and hands around chords that have stymied me for -- no lie -- DECADES. Because I finally had to.

Here is a demo I made last night of a particularly poignant song, "I Had A Bird." A different style than I'd normally sing, with modulations that never would have occurred to me. A treat to play, now that I figured out how :). I thought I'd try to record it because we're talking about putting together a soundtrack...and because I have a new vocal/guitar microphone, and am working on getting my sounds dialed in. Let me know what you think.

I feel so grateful to have been called on for LAST REQUEST, and owe a deep bow to Peter Nelson, and to my nearest and dearest, all of whom encouraged me to make it work. Turns out we *can* do hard things after all.

I hope you enjoy it. 

Thanks as always for riding the ride with me. Your support and engagement lifts me in uncountable ways. I am grateful for you every day. xotg