The September Song of the Month Desert Highway premiers! Desert Highway is a brand new song recorded for Jennifer’s next release Clarion. Enjoy!
Essay: The Look
New essay The Look added to the essay page.
The Look
This time of the year in the northeast as Summer heads toward Fall, many of us know that Winter is not so far away. You can feel it as you walk the street, as you drive in your car, and shop in stores. Each year as Fall rolls around The Look never changes….neighbors begin talking more, phone calls increase, and outside of the local churches on Sundays the conversation eventually turns to the weather.
The Look, yes indeed….That Look….I’m sure people who face tornadoes and hurricanes are fully aware of The Look. The Look represents the acceptance that we share much more in common than we care to realize sometimes. Whenever there’s a blackout, or a storm surge, we all become One. We all face the elements together. The Look becomes entrenched on our faces. Human beings swaying between indestructible, and fragile.
So what does The Look say? “I need you, and you need me.†You can only go so far in this life alone. After God, who else do we have but each other? Perhaps that’s the way it’s supposed to be….the realization that no man or woman is an island. Illness, tragedy, trauma….you name it, out of the blue it can become written on our faces. As a community, storms and seasons are something that we all can experience as a collective body.
So whenever storms approach, or seasons change, take a look…you just might see and be surprised how many have The Look….especially when you gaze into the mirror in the morning.
Join hands,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
Song: Desert Highway
Desert Highway will be the September song of the month. Premiering Sept. 1st. Desert Highway, is from the sessions for Jennifer’s next CD Clarion. Jennifer is also currently filming a brand new video.
News: New Interview
New Jennifer Avalon Interview added to the interview page.
Jennifer Avalon: Ten Questions
Q: Jennifer, you’ve wrapped up recording Atrium,….tell us about it…the songs, and the style.
A: Well, this CD has more songs on it than usual…12 to be exact. Overall I would say it has a kind of “Americana” feel to it…though there is a song called Moon Over Tuscany that I wrote in remembrance of Luciano Pavarotti, which has a European feel to it. But I did a cover of the classic Shenandoah, with original arrangements, and there’s an original song called America,…so, overall it has that “Americana” feel I would say. I really enjoyed making it.
Q: You release and post your songs as they are being recorded. Why do you not wait until the album is complete?
A: Ha! It takes around a month to write, arrange, record, and master each song…why keep myself and my audience waiting until the whole shebang is complete? Who has the time to wait anymore?
Q: I hear you. Tell us a little about your original songs, and the traditional standards you recorded.
A: You mean, what are the original songs about? A whole spectrum of things. I don’t write anything unless I feel I have something to say. Just to write a song to say I’ve written one is silly to me. Each one has to mean something, to me. As far as the cover songs like Loch Lomond, it’s a real honor and privilege to be able to take a beloved song from the past and put a fresh spin on it, and let it back out into the world to be rediscovered.
Q: So many of your songs are very popular, like Island Waters, and One Good Deed, and Milk and Honey,…why do you think they have so much longevity?
A: Well, Island Waters, for instance, takes a person to the ocean and to a Heavenly place…at least, that’s what I was trying to accomplish! I guess it worked! With all the natural disasters that befall this planet, I think that’s why One Good Deed stands out to the fans. Milk and Honey is my experience with being born again. I think many people can relate to that.
Q: Peace In the Valley, Crossroads, Paradox, Atrium,…what does each album mean to you?
A: Different times in my life. Each album represents different phases of my experience…like a little time capsule!
Q: Indeed. Do you enjoy doing videos?
A: Initially I was hesitant because it’s one thing to be behind the scenes, in a sense, and another to be in front…you know what I mean? But the experience has been great…I’m looking forward to the next video actually. They are a challenge, and another form of expression for the music. By challenge I mean that they involve a different set of creative endeavor than just sitting down and writing a song….but that’s fine.
Q: I understand a movie is in the works for next year with you in the main role.
A: Where did you hear that? That’s supposed to be Top Secret!
 Q: Oh, sorry! I guess someone on your team spoke too soon.
A: That’s okay…happens all the time.
Q: Okay…your essays mean a lot to people. Where do you get the inspiration?
A: Have you ever watched a rock sitting in the middle of a stream, and watched the water flowing over and around it? The rock stays in one place, but the water constantly is swirling over and around it. That’s how inspiration feels to me. I can sit still, and suddenly I feel this flow of information…I guess I could call it information, like water, and it has to be translated into either words, or sound. Does that make sense?
Q: Well, yes, although I am more of a nuts and bolts type of person. But I love your analogy! Music, essays, books, videos, movies…what’s next for Jennifer Avalon?
A: A vacation! (laughter) No, I’m just kidding. Why, is there anything else I should be doing?
Q: I can’t think of it!
A: Well, that’s good! (laughter)
Q: What will the next CD, Clarion, sound like?
A: The first song has already been recorded and is at the site. It’s called Marci, and I am really pleased how it turned out. The second song has already been recorded, an instrumental, and I am working on the third, at the moment. I just write from the heart…I don’t really know the overall shape of the CD until it’s complete. Then I usually notice a particular flavor.
Q: Wonderful. Thanks so much Jennifer for taking the time to answer my questions.
A: You’re welcome. Hope to do this again soon.
Q: For sure.
AVALON: Timeless & Free
Aviator Records is proud to release Jennifer Avalon’s new CD Atrium, the latest addition to Jennifer’s remarkable career that over the past decade has reached over 90 countries. Atrium like her other CD’s can be completely downloaded for free at her website, www.jenniferavalon.net. Jennifer is another one of the few artists who are finding unusual ways to reach out and expand their fan base.
Atrium touches on all facets of Ms. Avalon’s muse, with new original material such as The Carnival, Milk and Honey, and One Good Deed, while offering unique versions of traditional classics like, Shenandoah, Loch Lomond, and her refreshing rendition of the World War I classic Pack Up Your Troubles. Atrium offers a little bit of magic for everyone, through the warm voice of a rare artist.
Contact: Michael Boland
press@aviatorrecords.com
Website information:
Essay: Success Does Not = Money
New essay Success Does Not = Money added to the essay page.
Success Does Not = Money
How can one put a price on a happy home, or a warm family? How can you place a price on a job or occupation that you love to do each day? Does a peaceful mind have a price? Yet, why do we as a society assign top value based upon monetary value?
Each morning many rise and partake in different forms of exercise…it prepares them for the day ahead and helps a person keep their health, deal with stress and maintain a level of fitness. After these activities are performed does it ever cross our minds to say, How much money did I make from this? Probably not. I could go on and on with examples of how daily, weekly, and yearly successes add value to our lives, yet not to our overall income. Some may argue that good health does contribute to income…I guess in a roundabout way it does, but that depends upon what one considers truly valuable.
When we help others, through prayer and effort, do we ever stop to think how much we made from these endeavors? Or do we look at them as contributions and efforts that make us better human beings? Do all the latest toys have lasting value…if they do, then why is it many material items devalue with age? A friend recently told me, Jennifer, do you know that once you drive a new car out of the dealership garage, it almost instantaneously loses half its value? When a person gets sick, can we place a true value on those that help them get well, free of charge?
Love, Peace, Warmth, and Soul….if these can be placed in a bank account, would those who have them be considered wealthy? I guess it all depends on societies interpretation of value. Somewhere along the way some strange oddball decisions have to be decided…do we spend the better part of our day chasing the dollar bill? Or following the heart?
One thing that’s for certain, at the end of our lives physical and material success cannot be taken with us….yet the bounty of the Soul transcends with us into Paradise.
Treasure is in the eye of the beholder,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
Jennifer Avalon 