Now, before I relate the details of this dream, I should point out how amazing it is that I am actually writing about a dream at all. I very rarely remember my REM sleep adventures. Even the most vivid ones evaporate almost immediately upon waking, as much as I try desperately to wave my mental arms in the air and grab hold of some fragment of the scene, anything that will help me hang onto that state for just a while longer.

However, when I do remember dreams, I remember them for years.

In this particular dream, I was underwater, in the ocean, without diving gear, able to breathe freely without oxygen, amphibious. The water was a perfect temperature, like an almost-hot bath. I was relaxed, swimming gracefully, like a mermaid – except I was wearing regular street clothes, sans fishtail.

The reason I found myself in the crystal clear depths was singular and urgent – I had to find a hidden library whose shelves contained secrets to… something. That part is not clear to me in my post-somnolent state.

While the content of my search eludes me, the motivation does not. In the dream, I only had a certain window of opportunity to find this library, not because I needed to come up for air or rest my body, but because I had it on good authority that this library, this vast treasure trove of information and lore, would disappear entirely if I did not act. Now.

Just hours before this dream, on Thursday evening, Shawn and I got on the 47 trolley at Canal and Bourbon and headed up towards Mid-City to a little bar and sandwich shop called Chickie Wah Wah. One of my favorite new artists, Seth Walker, was performing at 8:00. His inspiring set featured his spot on in-the-pocket hollow-body guitar chops and his incredible, soaring soulful vocals paired with top notch songwriting and choice covers by esteemed figures as varied and wonderful as Nick Lowe and Sam Cooke.On his set break, he came over and we talked. Relaxed, cool, friendly, sincere. At the end of the night, we talked a little more. He lives down here in NOLA now, originally from Texas. He, too, felt the strong pull that this city possesses. I told him that we talk about giving it a shot here and that in some ways it’s tough to think about leaving the comforts of home for something new and uncertain and unknown. I looked at him and said, “Something in my heart keeps saying that I need to be down here.”

He smiled and said, “Well darlin’, you need to listen to that voice.”

This entire week has felt like a series of living dreams: studying traditional New Orleans jazz under some of the best players of the genre in the world; jamming with Gerald French; playing a pick-up set at Fritzel’s on Bourbon Street; marching in a second line parade a hundred souls strong down to Artillery Park and back; performing on the same piano that Sweet Emma played at Preservation Hall; meeting up with old friends and connecting with so many new ones; drinking in the constant stream of music that flows from every square inch of this hot, humid, well-worn, beautiful city.

I know that living here would be hard, especially in the summer. I know that it would require a lot of stamina and perseverance. We’ve made good connections though, and those connections could easily help us find work doing what we love and a place to live while we’re doing it.

Maybe it’s a crazy dream to have. How will we know unless we try?

As much as I love and will always love my home in New England, I know it can’t keep me there forever. There’s only a brief time within which to listen to one’s inner voice – the voice that speaks of treasure at the bottom of the sea.

To be continued.

I spent the entire dreary, drizzly day on Friday in my PJs working on building a new website (www.heatherpierson.com – that’s the current version. The new and improved version will be launched soon!). After a nutritious, fruit/rice milk/hemp seed smoothie – as is my daily ritual – I had cold leftover pizza for breakfast. Perhaps not the wisest choice, considering that I didn’t allow myself any time to get out on the pedal bike or the hiking or running trail to work off those carbs — but I have a feeling that my brain has already burned through them all, thinking about what awaits me on Sunday…

In the wee hours of this coming Sunday morning, Shawn and I will be boarding a plane for the city that enraptured me from the moment I first step foot on its cracked and weather-worn streets – New Orleans. We’re heading down yet again, this time to take part in a weeklong jazz workshop for adults, called the New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp. Held at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel (right smack dab in the middle of the French Quarter), we will be sharing this experience with over a hundred other horn players, drummers, vocalists, bassists, pianists, banjoists and guitarists from all over the world eager to absorb as much of this tradition as one week in NOLA will allow. Last year was an absolute dream and this year proves to be just as fantastic! We’ll see some of our friends that we made last year and we’re bound to make new ones.

This trip will be my fifth visit to NOLA in the past three years. Shawn and I were just there in January and I was literally in tears the day that we got in the car to head north.

Can I make a confession?

I’d love to live in New Orleans. Oh, I really would.

I’d always been fascinated with the city, being the birthplace of jazz and a hub for all sorts of beautiful, inscrutable things – art, music, voodoo, the mouth of the Mississippi River, alligators. I remember on several occasions as a young tween making the following announcement to my parents at the dinner table:

“Someday I wanna learn how to play the accordion and move to New Orleans.”

My father would always just smirk a little and give me a sideways glance, and my mother would just shake her head and go on some rant about “how much crime there is down there”.

I pretty much forgot about it for years.

Finally, in 2010 – that glorious year that I wrote about last week – I visited for the first time.

From the moment I stepped outside of the airport and experienced that oppressively heavy humid air, I was hooked.

And the seduction continued – the European architecture, with its wrought iron fences and soft pastel colors; the clack clack clack of the horse-drawn carriages in front of Jackson Square; the thump thump thump th-thump THUMP of “the big four” being pounded out on a second line bass drum; ancient trees standing watch and providing luxurious shade – oak and magnolia and cypress; the slightly spooky above-ground tombs in St. Louis Cemetery; the shrill refrain of a lone trumpet echoing down Royal Street; the chirping of the calliope atop the Steamboat Natchez; the dingy, dusty walls at Preservation Hall; the smell of freshly handmade pralines and of coffee with chicory; strings of brightly colored beads hanging from every tree branch, lamp post and power line; the wild cacophony that is Bourbon Street; the dazzling array of street performers – musicians of all disciplines certainly, but also the young tap dancers and break dancers; bizarre yet beautiful costumes and body paints; contortionists; but most beloved of all, of course, the music that drifts freely from every single open door and window, from every street corner, every park bench, from the lips of those passersby who can’t help but sing along to songs that they don’t even know.

If you’ve never been, do yourself a favor and get there someday, especially if you love music, food and/or art – which, I think, covers just about everybody on the planet. And then when you hear the old lyric ask: “Do you know what it means / to miss New Orleans / and miss it each night and day?” then maybe you’ll be able to answer, like I do: “Yes, I certainly do.”

New Orleans means something very special to me, but maybe not to you. Maybe it isn’t a city that you miss. Is there something that you once had that you could have again and all you need to do is just reach out and take hold of it again? Maybe it’s an idea, a hobby, a friend, a lover, a new path. Whatever it is – don’t wait. Do it now!

Oh, and you know, I never have learned how to play the accordion – not yet anyway – but I did just recently acquire a melodica, which isn’t quite the same thing as an accordion, but it kinda sounds like one…

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?”

My first encounter with these words came several years ago, during a time that now seems like an entirely different life, like an old acquaintance, someone I used to know.

And I suppose it was.

I was living in Fryeburg, Maine, working four part time jobs. (Yes, four.)  I was playing music while wearing one of those many hats, but my true talents of performing and songwriting were lying almost entirely dormant.

Why?

Well, that’s a long sad story, but I will give you a condensed version:

For the several years that I lived in Fryeburg, I was in an increasingly harmful relationship with a deeply controlling and manipulative man. Did he beat me? No – the bruising that I endured was much more insidious.  He didn’t attack my body.  He attacked my mind – my self-worth, my self-esteem, my humanity.

That’s the worst kind of abuse.

So, when I first heard Mary Oliver’s question, its salience stunned me; it immediately brought tears to my eyes. It seemed to underscore everything of importance and meaning in my life. This wise woman, this gifted poet, was offering me a way out.

Sadly, it would take me a few more years before I would be able to answer Mary’s question with any sort of confidence.

But that question stayed with me, hung over me, tugged at the corners of the veil.

Finally in February 2010, after encouragement from and with the help of very dear friends, I broke free and reclaimed my life.  There are some deep wounds that are still healing, and patience has never been my strong suit.  But, just like with any serious physical injury, the millimetric movement towards wholeness of spirit will take time.

It is still taking time.

In the three years since, I have come to know and experience the fullness of love, joy, exciting uncertainty, respect, adventure, discovery – all the best qualities of a life fully lived.

As I type these words, I am also preparing to leave for a conference in Rhode Island, where I will be one of ten performers (out of a juried pool of seventy) in front of an audience of fellow songwriters and musicians, venue operators, radio DJs and other music biz folks.  What an awesome opportunity this is!  I am also reflecting on three years of so many amazing experiences that have found me making so many new friends, creating an entire catalog of new music and forging incredible new bonds; meeting and falling in love with my best friend and traveling to nearly every corner of the U.S. with him and sharing my music and myself on concert stages, in coffeehouses, at open stages, in people’s homes; seeing the Grand Canyon at sunset and the midwestern plains at sunrise; hearing the thump and roar of a second line in New Orleans and the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago; smelling the Pacific Ocean in San Diego and fresh tortillas in the New Mexico desert.  And in addition to all of that – actually making a living with this sort of life!  If a messenger from the future had visited my former self in Fryeburg – the timid, depressed, downtrodden one – and told me what awaited me in my life these past three years, I wouldn’t have believed a word of it.

And here I am today!  With so many reasons to smile!

So, with my one wild and precious life, I intend to continue living in full pursuit of my dreams – to share my love of music and of life with as many people as I can, and to experience this planet as fully as I can until I can no longer.

And how about you?

The Allure of Hummingbirds

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by hummingbirds.  Although I don’t recall exactly how old I was when I first encountered one, I will never forget that first impression.

My parents and I had been living in the house I grew up in – in Hebron, ME – for at least a few years.  I remember being short enough to be able to walk without hunching so as not to disturb the spiderwebs that used to form reliably (no matter how many times my dad swept them away!) across the top of the porch.  My mom loved hummingbirds and, in an effort to attract those beautiful little creatures, she used to buy baskets of fuchsias to hang along the edge of that same porch.

One summer day, I followed my mom out to “help” (really, to watch) her water her flowers.  It was a perfect day – warm, cloudless, breezy – and after she was finished, she headed back in and then called me to join her, but I wanted to linger and enjoy the exhilarating weather – and those flowers!  As brightly colored as they are, fuchsias always seemed a little sad to me, with their heavy, drooping heads always pointing down to the ground, as if to hide from the sun.  I remember standing there watching those flower heads bobbing back and forth in the breeze – and then, a lull slowly fell over the yard as the wind lost its strength and tapered off.  Everything got still.

And then, I heard it.

A terrible buzzzzzzzzzzz!

I immediately thought, “A BEE!!” and shrieked! (I didn’t like bees much back then.)

I turned towards the door as the buzzzzzz got considerably louder, and then I heard my mom’s voice through the open kitchen window.

“Don’t worry, hen,” she said in her Scottish brogue. “It’s just a wee hummingbird.”

I turned around, looked up at the nearest plant basket and, sure enough, there he was – an impossibly delicate blur, hovering perfectly between several of the flowers, paying no mind to my presence, going about his business.  I stood staring at his slender beak, at the dazzling sparkle of his eye, at the clutch of reddish feathers on his breast, and at those wings, trying to focus on them – unthinkable! – and then in a flash, he was gone.

I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen.

I still can’t, actually. My heart seems to stop for a moment whenever I see one.

These days, I live in Conway, NH, literally at the end of a dirt road in the woods.  It’s the first time I have truly felt at peace in a very long time (more on this in future posts!).

After a visit to a nearby nursery last week, I came home with a beautiful basket of striped, purple petunias. (The fuchsias that my heart was set on wouldn’t fare well in the tremendous amount of sun that this yard gets.)  I hung them at the corner of the garden, just off the patio outside the French doors that bring all that sunlight into the kitchen every morning.

… and waited.

Every evening I bring those flowers in, every morning I set them out again, and will until sometime in June when it’s safe to have them out all night.

And every time I’m in the kitchen, I take a moment to stand at the kitchen screen door and look for hummingbirds.

Nothing.

…until Thursday afternoon.

Just for a moment, I saw what I thought was a wisp of a breeze moving the flowers just so, but no, here she was, visiting my flowers!

In my excitement – that same heart-stopping momentary loss of awareness of everything else except for that beautiful little friend – I rushed to the screen door to get a closer look, and then I watched her zip away.

Sadly, I’ve not seen her since.

But she has seen those petunias.

She’ll be back!

(I better go have a look.)

Tomorrow (Sunday, April 14th) – tune in online to www.wuphradio.com at 2 p.m. EST to listen to yours truly with host Elihu as we chat about music, life, and who knows what else!

This year is the 5th annual Earth Day Celebration that I take part in each year at the First Universalist Church of Norway, ME.  The date is Sunday, April 21.  The celebration starts with a local foods supper at 5:00 p.m. and then the concert will follow at 6:30 p.m.  There will be performances by yours truly, Leah Wolfsong, The Norway UU Choir, and more!  Admission is $10.  Call 207-743-2828 for more info.

I’m excited to be traveling down to Mocha Maya’s in Shelburne Falls, MA later this month for a split bill with singer/songwriter Carrie Ferguson!  I met Carrie at NERFA last fall and she’s a very sweet soul and a clever weaver of story into song.  She’s working on a new album and I’m psyched to hear her new material!  FMI: www.carriefergusonmusic.com

My spring cleaning sale is still on!  Thanks to those of you who have already taken advantage of the $5 sale.  Remember – this sale ends May 1st so order up!  http://www.heatherpierson.com/Heather_Pierson/SpringSale.html

I leave you with my latest YouTube offering – a video of Diana’s Baths here in New Hampshire.  The falls are especially lovely this time of year and I felt moved to share that beauty with others.  Enjoy!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXcwwlcNS9I

As always, thank you one and all for your love, friendship and support.

Love,
Heather
xoxo

Sunday, April 14 – Live on WUPH Radio – 2 p.m.
Thursday, April 18 – Heather Pierson Quartet at McGrath’s Tavern, North Conway, NH  - 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, April 19 & 20 – White Mountain Hotel, North Conway, NH – 6-10 p.m.
Sunday, April 21 – Earth Day Celebration – UU Church of Norway, ME – 5 p.m.
Friday, April 26 – Mocha Maya’s – Shelburne Falls, MA – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 28 & Tuesday, April 30 – Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, NH – 6-10 p.m.

Tis the season for planning gardens, cleaning garages and storage rooms, watching snow melt, and trying not to track mud through the house.  Spring Cleaning!   To celebrate, I’m having a five dollar sale on back catalog CDs!   (Yes, CDs for five bucks!  What a deal!)  This offer is good only on my website and will end May 1st.  Here’s the direct link to the sale:

http://www.heatherpierson.com/Heather_Pierson/SpringSale.html

I’m close to home for a while these days, so I hope to see you Maine and NH folks out and about this coming month — thanks to all of you for your continued love and support!

Much love,
Heather
xo

Sunday, March 31 – White Mountain Hotel in North Conway, NH – Easter Brunch – 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 4 – Andy’s Old Port Pub in Portland, ME (solo) – 6:30 p.m.
Friday, April 5 – Red Parka Pub in Glen, NH (with The Dean Machine) – 9 p.m.
Saturday, April 6 – White Mountain Hotel (solo) – 6 p.m.
Thursday, April 11 – McGrath’s Tavern in North Conway (with The Dean Machine) – 9 p.m.
Friday, April 12 - White Mountain Hotel (solo) – 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 13 – Wolverine Grille in North Conway (with The Dean Machine) – 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 14 – live on air performance on www.WUPHradio.com – 2 p.m.

CD #7 is slowly but surely coming together!  Thanks everyone for your kind and encouraging words about my newest creations in the studio.  (If you haven’t already and would still like that free sample that I offered in my last post, just reply to this message and type “YES PLEASE!” in the subject line!)

The Heather Pierson Quartet is celebrating one year of making music together at a very special show at The Red Parka Pub in Glen, NH on Friday, March 22nd!  9 p.m. start.  We’re hoping to see the dance floor full of fellow funk-o-philes!  It’s hard to believe it’s already been one whole year since sax man Joe Aliperti sat in with the HP Trio and we all looked at each other and said, “This needs to happen more often…”

My video press kit is finally completed!  I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2kxn0WHRug

I’ve tried to represent just about everything that I do musically in one little video.  It’s meant to be informative as well as entertaining and I will be using it as a tool to book house concerts and other intimate venues.  Let me know what you think!  I hope you’ll consider sharing it with family and friends, too – every little bit helps.   And thanks!

That’s all for now.  Please be sure to check the Schedule page of heatherpierson.com for updates on performances.   Hope you are well and happy and do keep in touch!

Much love,
Heather
xo

Coming right up:

I’ll be in the studio a lot this month working on tracks for the upcoming CD, which I’m planning to release this summer.  I’m so excited about these new songs and can’t wait to share them all with you!  (For a FREE sneak preview, send a message to heather@heatherpierson.com with “YES PLEASE!” in the subject line and I’ll send you a little somethin’!)

On Sunday March 10, 2013 at 8:00PM (est), The Hootenanny Cafe Mini Concert, hosted by Jon Stein, will be featuring yours truly! The show can be heard locally in the Orange Country, NY area on 93.5FM and all over the world at www.wtbq.com.  The show will also be available as a podcast after the original airing.

There’s lots going on and many new shows – including some pretty cool festivals and features – have been and are being continually added to the schedule at www.heatherpierson.com/Heather_Pierson/Schedule1.html  Go take a look and mark your calendars accordingly!  (Can you believe that the quartet already has four Charlie Brown Christmas concerts booked?  Wow!)

Speaking of love, I sure am digging my busy schedule!  Here’s a look at the rest of February:

Tuesday, February 19th:  Shawn and I will be playing the apres ski at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, NH from 3 to 6 p.m.   It’s school vacation week, so it’s bound to be busy!

Thursday, February 21st:  We’ll be at Andy’s Old Port Pub in Portland, ME starting at 6:30 p.m.  It’s been a while since we’ve been to this cozy little seaside spot and we’re looking forward to it!

Friday, February 22nd:  After a day in the studio working on tracks for my upcoming CD, I’ll be playing a solo evening at Good Times Restaurant in North Conway, 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, February 23rd:  Another solo night, this time at White Mountain Hotel in North Conway, 6 to 10 p.m.

Congrats to “Johnny Gags”, winner of the “Flight of Fancy” video contest!  He takes home the $500 gift card to his choice between Amazon, Apple, Best Buy.  Nice job, Johnny!

Next week, I’ll be back on the road – this time, to Fort Myers, Florida – for the Listening Room Festival!  Shawn and I will be down there for several days of house concerts, showcases, radio and TV appearances (and of course to soak up some warmth and sun)!  If you’re in South Florida we would really love to see you!  More details and info at www.listeningroomfestival.com.

Frequent updates, photos and musings on Facebook (HeatherPiersonMusic) or Twitter (@HeatherPierson)!

Thanks as always for your support – and lots of love to each and every one of you!

Love,
Heather
xoxo

This Thursday is Valentine’s Day and it’s also the last day to enter the “Flight of Fancy” video contest at FanDistro!   A $500 gift card to winner’s choice of Amazon, Apple or Best Buy awaits the creator of the video with the most votes!  Follow this link to create your video and vote for others: http://fandistro.com/contests/heatherpierson/  Time is ticking on this one!

While the final votes are coming in, I’ll be performing a very special Valentine’s Night trio show at Pitman’s Freight Room in Laconia, NH!  The show begins at 8 p.m. and tickets are $10 at the door.  If you bring your sweetheart to dinner at The Local Eatery of Laconia, your show tickets are FREE!   Call 603-527-8007 for info and reservations.

Friday, February 15th: I’ll be rockin’ out with The Dean Machine at The Red Parka Pub in Glen, NH starting at 9 p.m.!

Saturday, February 16th: It’s another solo night at White Mountain Hotel in North Conway, NH, 6 to 10 p.m.

Kathy Parsons of MainlyPiano.com has just posted a very nice review of “The Open Road”!  You can read that here:  http://www.mainlypiano.com/2013_Reviews/Pierson-The_Open_Road.html

More news, updates and musings are always available on my Facebook page (HeatherPiersonMusic) or my Twitter feed (@HeatherPierson).  Thanks to each and every one of you for your continued love, support and enthusiasm!

Love,
Heather
xo