First: A Record Release Show.
As some of you know, I am a lifelong musician. At the age of 58 I decided to release my first solo album titled “The Silver Garden”, an ode to aging.
Actually, the album is a love letter to aging. There are love songs for finding your partners graying hair and velvety wrinkles sexy, songs about “aging out” together as well as songs of loss, regret, lust and ponderings of what happens after we have unraveled this mortal coil. Plus a murder ballad thrown in for good measure. The album also hosts a myriad collection of some of my oldest musician friends, some well known in the indie-rock world, who lent a hand backing me up with their talent and their time. It was produced by another long time friend, Rob Girardi who produced bands like Beach House and Future Islands. My husband David helped to co-produce with us as well. To say it was a labor of love would be no joke.
After only a short 7 months of becoming a resident of Lisbon Portugal, I was lucky enough to have found a very cool space here in our neighborhood of Campo de Ourique that offered to host my record release party. Chasing Rabbits is a record store/cafe (similar to my own record store/cafe in the states) that hosts small, intimate live music events as well as art shows, so when I told our new friends, Ana and Bruno, about my record coming out they asked if I was planning a record release party. I hadn’t thought about it, as I don’t have a band any longer, but then an idea popped into my head. I could play three songs on acoustic guitar, talk about how I wrote each song and how David and I (and Rob) recorded them and then play the final recorded version so that the audience could hear how it went from raw version to final production. So, last Saturday night that is exactly what I did. It was so much fun and I was so happy with the response I received and the outpouring of support from my new community.
Playing and talking. The crowd at Chasing Rabbits.
If you want to check out “The Silver Garden” you can go to my Bandcamp page to listen (and purchase) at this link. I hope you enjoy what you hear if you decide to listen.
Second: An Art Opening.
As some of you might or might not know, I am a lifelong visual artist as well. I have drawn since I was a small child and have received various levels of recognition for my art. From painting, to ceramics to 3D sculptures and collage I have kept my artistic side flowing freely, although maybe not as much as I would have liked to in the past, mainly because I was just too damn busy trying to make a living. And as we all know, art doesn’t pay (unless you get lucky). But, now that I have time to be creative, I have found another art subject that I am currently obsessed with: Mandala or Dot Art. Plus, I have found the perfect medium to use said Mandala Art on: Old, scratched, unplayable records. (Again, the perfect combination of art and music together as one). I love going to the local flea markets here in Lisbon and digging in the crates to find old, beautifully labeled 7” records that no one would want. I then go into a type of meditation painting hundreds of various sized dots of acrylic paint in different patterns and colors. I feel like I am breathing new life into what was once unusable records by framing them and turning then into something someone might want to hang in their home or give as a gift.
Me and Bruno with the art hung.
When I spoke to Bruno at Chasing Rabbits about my record release show I then asked if I could hold an art opening for my “Dotted Groove” records and he said yes. So, that night not only was I making music, I was having an art opening as well. With 22 unique framed painted records, over half found homes that evening. I was so ecstatic and could not have asked for more.
A beautiful old record label that inspired this.
Three: A Bit of Brussels.
Living here in Europe, we have the luxury to visit so many nearby countries and experience different cultures. So, when David and I found out that one of our favorite new-jazz musicians was having a huge show in Brussels three weeks ago we bought both concert tickets as well as airline tickets. Brussels was spectacular as well as the concert. MATTHEW HALSALL was fabulous as was HANIA RANI and SVANEBORG KARDYB. You can check out the clips below that I took at the show.
Matthew Halsall
Hania Rani
We ran into Matthew Halsall himself while we were out record shopping!
Brussels famous Mussels.
We ate tons of great food and drank many a Belgian ale while we were there, as well as going to a number of museums, the best one being the History of Musical Instruments in the Old England Building. It was so cool to see ancient instruments and get to hear recordings of them as well. So immersive. I even got to play a skeleton piano. (video below)
Next week I will return with my regular posts from my Personal Chef memoir.
Until then, have a great week and don’t forget to support your favorite artists and musicians.
- Shirlé
Until next week, Thanks so much for following along on this journey! If you enjoy Secrets and Spice please make sure you subscribe to get each weeks story emailed directly to you. Also, if you would like access to any of my recipes please consider a paid subscription. It’s one of the perks of becoming a paid supporter. (it’s only $5 a month or $50 for the year)
Oh, and please share these stories with those you think might enjoy the read.
Thank you again,
- Shirlé
**All names, places and occupations have been changed to protect the identity of all clients.
Please leave a comment or two…I’d love to hear from you!
A Shout Out to this Weeks Paid Supporters:
A very special shout out to the following paid subscribers:
Robinlee Garber, Chef Lynn Warlick Wells, Jake Brokaw, Miyuki Furtado and Spanky Wilson, . A special shout out to new paid subscribers Myra Ruppe Schwartz, Lisa Deemer Sethi and Claudia L Sanders, Laurel Estabrooks and Leela Montella,! Thank you all soooo much for your support!
-Leela is a person I have known since kindergarten. She has made a lovely life for her and her family and I love watching her kids success stories.
-Myra is an old NC friend who I recently got to see here in beautiful Lisbon with her partner Scott. Maybe someday they will become expats in this fair land.
-Robinlee is a childhood friend and all around renaissance woman, living and playing music in Chicago.
-Chef Lynn is a fellow Personal Chef buddy and owner of Thyme Well Spent, Personal Chef Service, based out of Greensboro NC. When not cooking for clients or food styling for cookbooks, she can be found hobnobbing with tastemakers and culinary shakers all over the country.
-Jake and his wife Brigitte have long been huge supporters of my cooking and are also huge supporters of the arts in Baltimore, Maryland. Jake also has an Orthopedic practice I have had to use a few times.
-Miyuki has been a lifelong friend and bandmate of mine from days long past. He’s also one of the best fathers and husbands I know and has raised one of the coolest kids, his daughter Mino along with his sweet wife Tricia. Miyuki currently plays music in his Alt-Country band, Divining Rod. You can listen to Divining Rod out on all music platforms. (Chef Lynn, I think you would LOVE his music!)
-Spanky has been a huge supporter of my cooking from my NC days. When not fire fighting you might find Spanky hiking the Appalachian trail.
-Lisa has been in my life since the early 90’s. She’s a huge music supporter and a lover of all things delicious.
-Claudia is an old friend from my days in North Carolina. I met Claudia at a pig pull back in 1998, when I first moved to Chapel Hill. Since then, Claudia has started a successful Personal Chef business, Good Intentions Personal Chef Service in the Hillsborough area, as well as serving the Durham and Chapel Hill area.
-Laurel Estabrooks is a new expat friend, recently becoming a Portuguese resident. Parabens!! Someday I hope to meet up face to face. Muito Obrigada Laurel!!
Thank you all sooo much for supporting me in this endeavor. I am truly grateful for you.
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Secrets and Spice - A Personal Chef's Memoir is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.