The new CD is now available! The cd release concert was fabulous and I
thank all of you who came out to the show. We also had a great time at the
Frauenthal Theater in "A Concert With Friends" with Ruth & Max Bloomquist and
The Oat Bran Boys. If you didn't get to see it you missed me being backed
by a banjo, string bass, and fiddle! Don't worry- it was such a
smashing success we're doing it again next year
Coming soon... Anisa "Finding
Home" merchandise! T-shirts, tote bags, mugs, journals and much, much
more...
CD RELEASE CONCERT OCT. 19th!
Sept. 30th, 2007
I am so excited to announce the date of my upcoming cd release concert! On
October 19th in Grand Haven, Michigan I will be in concert with a
full band (including saxophone, flute, violin…) to celebrate the completion of
my new cd. The album has taken over a year to record and I have learned much
along the way from my producer, Michael Crittenden. Thanks to his creativity,
the songs have come alive in a way I couldn’t have imagined. What started out
as my intention to record a simple cd with basic bass and drums turned into
hours of brainstorming, experimenting, re-writing and re-recording, as well as
the addition of flute, saxophone, strings, piano, electric guitar, extra
percussion, and glockenspiel… (yes, there really is an instrument called the
glockenspiel- google it!) On several of the songs, Michael heard the instrument
parts in his head upon hearing them for the first time! (Just wait until you
hear what he did with the last song on the cd “Carry the Torch”.)
This album are very close to my heart. Two of the songs are written by
my father and another is by a good friend of mine. The rest are mine. One song
is about my unofficially “adopted” brother and it illustrates how you don’t need
to share the same blood to be family. Another track called “Little Bird” was
written about friend of mine and I later realized that the song is just as much
about me as it is about her. Then there is a mysterious song involving mangos.
But I won’t say any more about that :)
Join me on October 19th where I, and the musicians who
recorded with me, will introduce these songs and play our hearts out for you.
The concert also features opening performances by two amazing singer/songwriters
from Grand Rapids: Karisa Wilson (www.karisawilson.com)
and Dorothy Cooley (www.dorothycooley.com).
Visit my MySpace page for concert details and I’ll see you there!
-Anisa
Why the new CD is called "Finding Home"
Aug 12th, 2006
’m back in the studio! I finally awoke to what my heart knew all along-
all I really want to do is play music. Growing up I
felt insecure and disconnected from the world. I was floating through
life searching for something to hold onto…a place that I could trust would
always be there… a place where I felt safe and at home. Self-doubt
haunted me as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do with my
life. Although I made a start by recording my first CD, I still struggled
between the desire to have a career in music and the pressure to do
something “practical” like going to school and earning a degree. I
bounced between several jobs and school studying music therapy and
psychology while my songwriting and performing fell more and more into the
background. I told myself that “someday” I would record another CD… when
I became a better musician, when I had more time, when I had the money…
Part of me also knew that if I tried to pursue a music career without
being grounded in a sense of self I would indeed float away in whatever
direction the wind blew. I was afraid to pursue what meant the most to
me- my music. What if I tried and failed? Now this question fades away
when I am in a space where words and melodies combine.
They say that “Home is where the heart is”. But I have
found something more meaningful and comforting to be true- that my home is
in my heart. I carry it with me wherever I go. This CD will be a
collection of original songs surrounding this theme- I finally feel there
is no place like home.
