If you’re reading this: Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of 2023. Proud of you. Proud of me.
This year was a big one- Turned 30, toured with some incredible humans, traveled to a lot of new places. Many dear friends had new babies, and I have had the joy of meeting them. I worked on my first immersive sound install. Got a cool new hat. Played my record live with an orchestra of some of my favorite Chicago musicians. Played with my heroes! Recorded a lot of music. Somehow I played 136 shows. I don’t really know what to make of that number, but I feel really grateful to have been a part of that much music making.
This year I got to be a part of some truly emotionally and creatively fulfilling projects: Hisako’s House was one of them. A beautiful and immersive dance piece by Robyn Mineko Williams. I learned a lot about sound installs from my lovely friend Chris Wood, and they helped me wire speakers throughout the whole house. We used a staple gun a lot. I am deeply proud of this piece and the work that so many people put into it. If you get a chance to experience it- please do. Robyn is making a documentary adjacent to the performance as well. If you can, donate at the previously mentioned link to bring the performance to other spaces across the Chicagoland area (and beyond??).
Finom did our first tour with a baby. Long story short- it rocked. We also recorded an entire new record…. You’ll hear much more about it very soon.
I’m working on some new music right now- not sure where it will take me, but I have some ideas I’ve been sitting on for a really long time. Many involving piano. Feel like I’ve been reaching into some places I have not yet been, and some that I have been, but long ago. It is a period of gathering information. I like to think that I am collecting kindling and placing it all in the pit in the hopes it will someday catch fire.
Top records I listened to this year organized haphazardly but its fine: Shleep by Robert Wyatt, Tender Buttons by Broadcast, Pripyat by Marina Herlop, Prize by Rozi Plain, In Electric Time by Jeremiah Chiu, Diagnosis by Sen Morimoto, Yasuragi Land by Foodman, That High Lonesome Sound by Old & In the Way, <atrás/além> by O Terno, Let the Moon Be a Planet by Steve Gunn & David Moore.
Here’s my list of what is IN for 2024 : Baking big and little cakes, large cuts of meat that you roast in the oven, beans, taking epsom salt baths, popping in for tea, sitting quietly and just enjoying the wash of noise at a party, the movie theater, board games, the pianet, repotting plants, touring with friends, loose leaf tea, reading poetry collections, going on trips for fun, murmurations, turning your brain off, pottery from friends, calling politicians on the phone, crispy rice, parties within walking distance, abrasive guitar noise, sitting quietly with friends, one hundred cartwheels, long walks, saying no.
Here’s my list for what is OUT for me, personally, in 2024: 3 songs playing at once, road rage, that weird nail tapping thing that people do in instagram videos, not going on short trips for fun, letting food go bad, Siri, forgetting to send letters that you meant to send a few months ago, leaving dishes in the sink, forgetting to update my substack on time :) , not reaching out, stepping in poop, inaction, forgetting to repot plants but like a lot, airplane turbulence, saying no.
I know I said saying no twice- but you probably get it.
Onward to a new year. Working towards, and thinking about how we can do better, always.
<3
MS
Upcoming shows:
12.28 (last of the year!) - Playing with Resavoir at Dorian’s in Wicker Park
1.10 - Sleeping Village - trio with Whitney Johnson and Lia Kohl, opening for Plaid
1.20 - Empty Bottle - solo MS at GCT abortion benefit (sold out!)
A few more coming up, and then in March Finom goes to Japan :)
🙌🙌🙌