Feb 2024 Newsletter: "Shhhhh… You get to hear it first!"

Hello, out there! I'm counting down the minutes til “Take Your Own Ride” gets launched on Friday, but as promised to all of you who've been such kind supporters and joined the newsletter list… HERE's a private link to the video and full song a day early! I am not suffering under the illusion that I'm akin to the likes of Beyoncé or Taylor, and I know there isn't exactly CLAMOR! and BATED BREATH! awaiting this song by my band and me ("who's Britt Connors??)"… but, it's all I got, and I hope you like it :) 

It'll be up on all the platforms tomorrow, and the video will be made public, but especially since Spotify has made us little musicians even MORE at the bottom of the heap and created algorithms to keep us there, I'd LOVE you forever if you went over to my HOME page on Friday and purchased the tune (if you like it!) for as little as $0.99 - then go stream all you like on those things, and maybe I'll be amongst some of the musicians I so admire on a Pandora et al. station?! 

So excited to then be playing The Lizard Lounge to celebrate this song and others on Friday, March 1 - tix still available for our full-band, 3-horn, cello, James Rohr -ified party! 

And one more mention since I probably won't be coming back to your inbox for a bit… I'll be back at the Songwriters in the Round at Rooted Café at the Armory in Somerville, MA on Wed March 20th  7pm-8:30 and I'll get to play the happy host for the first time, leading some convos between tunes with 3 other incredible musicians. I have been loving this series, and it'll be my 4th time with a totally different crew!

Can't wait to see you out there and finish writing and recording songs for this next album… more to come and a final THANK YOU!!  xx Britt

 

Jan 2024 Newsletter: "Single Release and Lizard Lounge"!"

Hello, friends! It's a little late, but I'll still wish you a Happy New Year! Last time I showed up in your inbox, I tried to hold myself accountable by announcing to y'all that I was about to take a 7-hour New Year's Day workshop called “Write 10 Songs in One Day.” And, kind readers, while I did not finish a single song that day, I did learn some valuable lessons: 
#1 seven hours is waaaaaaaayy too long for me to be doing such a task 
#2 the leader, Naomi Westwater, is amazing and I'm in awe of how she led us while still writing and participating
#3 I just need to keep showing up. It's ok to be slow. And I kept coming back to the fact that I need to have less DOING and more BEING this year. That's my goal.

2024 has already been a more musical year for me, and I'm Just. So. Excited. about getting new music out there!! In early January, we got back into Woolly Mammoth Sound in Waltham, MA with our engineer pal, Dave Westner, and recorded 3 more tunes. I feel like it's the best music I've ever made, and my bandmates, with their openness and creativity and immense talent, have pushed these songs beyond what I ever could have imagined. 

Now, back to the SUSPENSE to keep you interested! (if you're still reading?) My first-ever single with video comes out Friday, February 23rd! I like to think of “Take Your Own Ride” as kind of a banger, so I hope it inspires you to tap your feet or move your bodies. HERE is a little teaser preview for you. BUT! Because you are so kind to be on my mailing list, I will send an email to you on Thursday, Feb 22 with a private link to the video so that you can be among the first to watch it before it goes public. It will be available on all the usual platforms, including the musician-soul-crushing streamy ones, and I hope you listen to it there… but, I'll also have it available for purchase right on my HOME page if you wanna support us little people - it means so much when people go directly to the artist to purchase music in addition to the streaming :)

Finally, we get to play a Single Release Party Show on the following Friday, March 1st at 9pm at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA with Special Guest, James Rohr, who plays on the new track! We will have a 3-horn section and the full band and plan to rock your socks off with some new and old tunes. Hope to see local folks at this funky and iconic venue that I've never gotten to headline before. Tickets and more info HERE

I can't thank you enough for the kind words and support here and on social media - this little turtle is still plugging along and will continue to do so, no matter what, but it sure is nice to have some companions on the path :)

xx Britt

(header/single artwork photo by Sam Sawdon)

(Gill Aharon, Andrew Stern, Britt, Mike Connors, Ed Lucie at Woolly Mammoth Sound)

Dec 2024 Newsletter: “Shortest Day of the Whole Entire Year”

Happy Winter Solstice to you, friends! I am writing to you on this day, the shortest day of the whole entire year, with hopes that you are finding some peace and comfort in a time at which there is a lot of NOT that, locally and globally. I always mark this occasion as a hopeful one, knowing we'll be letting more light in as the days go forward, even if my beloved warm summery days are still a distant glimmer. December always ends up kicking my arse and not leaving me much time for music, so I'm forcing myself to dive deep in January with something terrifying and wonderful as well as something more just wonderful…

I signed up for a virtual workshop on New Year's Day through Club Passim. It's a 7-hour workshop (nope, that's not a typo- SEVEN hours) during which we have the goal of “Writing 10 Songs in One Day” and which is led by the inspiring Naomi Westwater. Now, dear readers, I am a SLOW songwriter. We're talking takes-me-four-to-six-years-to-write-a-full-album sort of slow. Turtle Pace. I am TERRIFIED to take this workshop. What if people realize that I don't know what the hell I'm doing? What if I can't even write a single song?? As soon as I recognized my fear of this workshop, I decided I have no choice but to do this. You're supposed to do something you're scared of everyday or something, right? I'm gonna say that this'll count for the year, especially since it's on New Year's Day! My fear is slowly morphing into excitement as I reframe it… what if I actually do write even one song that I hadn't written? What if I write more than one song? 10?! (seems that's pushing it, but hey…) What if this cracks me into a better flow of writing that helps me to take less than 4 years to write a whole record? What have I got to lose? Nothing :) And so, I will let you know how this goes.

So, less terrifying but also exciting is a show 2 days later:
* Wed, Jan 3rd - Songwriters in the Round at the Arts at the Armory's Rooted Cafe - Somerville, MA  7pm - 8:30. This will be my third time at this event with a different group of songwriters, including the amazing host and curator, David Scott. SO fun and inspiring to play and then hear other talented folks in the same hour-and-a-half. Love to see you if you're around!

AND, I can finally announce that I'll be releasing my first single with a video on Friday, February 23rd… with a release party show at The Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA on Friday, March 1st! I've never headlined a show at this funky and iconic basement venue, and I can't wait to get the whole band out, with our fantastic friend James Rohr (Blue Ribbons) doing a solo set to open up. Whoah. You don't wanna miss that! 
More info and teaser video to come, but in the meantime, may you find more light and more love this new season and new year. December is my time to show gratitude to the beautiful people in my life, and I extend that to y'all - thanks for reading and supporting art and music. Let's all keep making things :)

xx  Britt

 

Oct 2023 Newsletter: “In the Round, Libraries, and… Sophie B Hawkins??”

Hello, friends, and happy autumn! The seasons have turned, and so much has happened since I last wrote, but I am writing to you as I try to recover fully from a bad bout of Covid… one that cost us our vacation this year and still won't completely be gone from my body! That said, so many positive and exciting things have been happening, including the finished recordings of 2 new tunes! When I went to lay down final vocals, I decided I needed some extra strong vibes around me, so I wore my Sophie B Hawkins shirt that I bought when I saw her play live last summer… holy crap, is she a powerhouse. I'll never forget listening to “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover” (as an awkward fawn of a teenager) on repeat and wondering if I'd ever be able to sing a song like that. Well, not only do I swear her vibes helped, but I posted my pic (seen below) and, maybe tackily, tagged her on social media… and she started following me. WHAT?! Ultimate fan-girl moment. 

We had a little scheduling snafu, so I'm gonna hold off on releasing the first single til end of February… stay tuned… 

Meanwhile, writing and more recording will continue, and I've got a couple shows I'm psyched about:

  • Wed, Oct 4th  7pm-8:30pm at Arts at the Armory in Somerville, MA in their sweet Rooted Cafe - I had such a blast playing there last month and being introduced to 3 other incredible songwriters… I had never done an “In the Round” type of gig, and now I'm hooked. So fun and inspiring! 2 of the women I played with last time will also be there, as well as another woman I've yet to meet and hear - Women who Rock! Check out the flyer below and more info HERE 
     
  • Sat, Oct 14th at the Concord Free Library in my hometown of Concord, MA at 7pm-10pm - playing duo with Ed Lucie on bass for “After-Hours at the Library” as a celebration and fundraiser for the 150th anniversary of the library! Amazing food, storytelling, puppetry, music by several local talents, including Sawyer Lawson and Lori Zuroff… info HERE

I'll be working away on getting new music out to you soon. I'm so excited to share it with you and feel like it's the best work I've done with the most talented band a girl could ask for. The third pic below is our full band show at the Christian Science plaza, right there with the Pru in the background :) And if you're a Spotify person and want to support me out there, I'd SO appreciate it, as I'm just learning the ropes there… you can find me HERE

Be well, don't get Covid, and enjoy the fall - can't wait to see you out there soon!  xo Britt

Britt Connors Music

Aug 2023 Newsletter:  “Gettin' Back a Groove”

August Greetings to you! I write every year about how August might be my favorite month (I even wrote a song about it!), but this year I'm really trying to live in the moment. At the risk of getting too personal but also knowing that I'm a very bad liar who wears her emotions like neon tattoos… it's been a rough few months. 
  
I thought I was maybe going through an existential crisis until I realized my age and said “Oh my God! Is this a freakin' Mid-Life Crisis?!!” I was feeling so confused and low that I was considering giving up on music for a bit there. But, typing that just gave me a deep pang, and I know I have to keep on keepin' on (also the word “keep” looks very weird to me now…). And, in that spirit, we got into the studio (Woolly Mammoth in Waltham, MA) last week to begin Album #4! It made me feel more like myself than I would have imagined, and Andrew, Ed, Mike, and a horn section led by Jerry Sabatini laid down tracks that I cannot help but groove to, even as I listen over and over. I'm so grateful to report that I think I've gotten my groove back, though it was certainly not as sexy as Stella's journey. Most likely because it did not involve Angela Bassett or Taye Diggs.

Couple dates to mention, as I'm hoping to release one tune as a “single” (which I've never done) later this fall and working on booking more shows… but, I get to play a solo show on 
* Wed Sept 6 at the Arts at the Armory in Somerville, MA from 7pm - 8:30pm, where I'll be participating in a “Songwriters in the Round” night with 3 other amazing performers. Modeled after the “guitar pulls” at the beloved Bluebird Cafe in Nashville! $10 at the door 
* Fri Sept 8 outside at the Christian Science Center Plaza in Boston, MA  7:30pm-9pm  Full band with horns! Last year, the weather was not on our side, and it was a freezing cold wind tunnel with not many brave listeners, but we will hope for a rockin' crowd this year! (corner of Mass Ave and Huntington in Fenway area)

Thanks for reading and for listening, as always. I'm definitely gonna keep making music, but it sure is nice when people hear it :)  xx Britt