Building Mountains

[cocooconnor]

Pop O’Connor looked up to me and said “ What’s with those streaks around your face? I like that ....that color it looks good.” He was speaking about my hair.

Pop is not my dad. He is my father-in-law, a “dad” if you will by marriage. Funny how God works. I can’t say that we speak often or even spend a lot of time together but the times we have spoke and the times we’ve been together ... it has been quality time.

I not only love Pop, I like him. I like him a lot ...he actually is one of my favorite people I’ve ever known.

He’s in Hospice care tonight . Been sick for a few years and the past week has been a roller coaster . I started this post from our conversation that he and myself had a little over a week ago when we went to see him in the hospital.

Me and the family will most likely be on the road headed to visit him in the early morning. We came back to Nashville as he was on the upswing ... but things changed so fast in the wrong direction. So, we must go back.

Things change so fast .... so fast ... life goes by ...so fast ...so fast.

[cocooconnor]

I wanted to take you inside my studio. A little history about this place:

1)  When we bought it , it was the cheapest thing we could find. It had no running water and both Taylor and I got pneumonia trying to make the place livable. I also had to use an outhouse for months.

2) It’s located 3 miles up a mountain outside of Santa Fe , NM

3) Has a Trident 80 B console

4) Animal Collective was going to use it at one time

5) Great music has been written and recorded here including my good friend ( who also plays with Patty Griffin), Billy Harvey.

It’s one of those places that oozes with inspiration. I am very blessed to have it and I always try to remind myself that not only does it inspire great art....it in it’s own right is a great work of art and labor of lotsa love.

[cocooconnor]

Mama Music

Me and my baby singing my song “Angels Come” . We were spending some time at Nana’s house and I captured this little ditty. It’s put alot of smiles on people’s face across the social networks so I thought I’d share it here on my blog.

Well , this video was taken after my NYC trip. You can still hear that I am a little stuffy and not quite singing like I should. I was really sick all 4 days I was in NYC showcasing at the APAP Conference. It was great to get the band together ( Billy Harvey  and Dony Wynn and Taylor O’Connor) again and we of course had a good time and the shows went really well. Now fingers crossed we can get some international gigs outta those showcases.

I am back in Nashville for a few weeks I think.I’ve got some writing sessions and meetings so until next time.....Please find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Love, Coco

[cocooconnor]

Faith , Hope, Love

On a morning run a couple days ago, I had the most calming feeling come over me. I believe it ‘twas Christmas Eve and of course, that is probably one of the easiest days to open one’s self up to “peace”. I wasn’t really focused on the Christmas celebration it was more a sense of hope that was strong in my heart. But hey, I guess all of those things “Faith, Hope, and Love” is really what the Spirit of Christmas brings, right?

I started reflecting on the times, the music and all of the wonderful experiences I had this year creatively. To end the year I met and got to open for an awesome New Mexico band, Gleewood . I am hoping we will do more shows as they inspire me to keep on pushing that indie spirit.

This Summer, I shared the stage with The Oak Ridge Boys, Jim Lauderdale, and   not to mention my band which also includes my hubby. I am blessed that we can share the stage together , not a lot of couples have that luxury ( except for Gleewood). I like to think of those hot summer days in Missouri in this cold, wintery season:) It brings warmth to my soul.

So now about this overwhelming sense of hope. I subscribe to the thought that God is a God of increase and that He is always allowing experiences to help us expand emotionally, spiritually and creatively. It is my hope that we all increase our faith so we can bring love to others  whether it be by song, art, words or deed. 

If you are like me,  kind of late to doing a lot of things in life....then take heart and let me tell you....like fine wine , things only get better with age. So never let go of those dreams in your heart and if you have let go then pick them back up. There has never been a better time to do so. I am here to tell you ...you are never too old to start or to ‘pick up where you left off’. 

God bless and here’s to the New Year with faith, hope and love.

Coco

[cocooconnor]

This is my new "touring machine" . The first show she will be going to is beautiful Johnson City TN this Friday. I sure wished we would've had her a few weeks ago when we did the mini tour with @gleewood (Gleewood ) but we didn't and that was ok cause we had a great time with that band. I highly recommend you check them out. Hopefully there will be more gigs with them in the future. I will keep u posted. So after the December 16 show I'm headed back to Santa Fe for the holidaze. I thought I posted some birthday pics and Thanksgiving pics but I don't think I did. So apologies as it has been awhile. I got some exciting things in the mix and I'm looking forward to sharing them. The farmhouse here in TN is a slow process. It's really a bummer and some days can be challenging but with the new touring machine ... well let's say that's improved some things. Now we can be online ( in the trailer our internet was/is nada) , stay warm while I work and rehearse and maybe even get to use our own shower. The shower is still debatable. And if you are wondering just read the previous posts about our remodel from hell and the shower situation. Anyways, Nashville is opening up her arms and well it's good to be a gypsy.

[cocooconnor]

First fire in the farmhouse. It finally got C-O-L-D. Yes, we had a hard freeze over the weekend. We got a roof on though and I got my December dates all confirmed. Plus we got a new vehicle for touring that I can’t wait to show you. We won’t have that until after the Thanksgiving holidays.

So the house is all buttoned up and we are gonna be headed back to New Mexico around Thanksgiving. Saturday is my birthday and most likely I’ll be on the road but that is ok. The road makes me feel like at least I am moving. And I am on this trip... I’ll be doing 4 shows in Northern New Mexico and southern Colorado December 1 - 4 and then back to Tennessee in mid-December.

I’ll be opening up for Gleewood a band outta Ruidoso for the following dates:

Dec 01 - Riff Raff Brewing -  Pagosa Springs, CO Dec 02 - Mineshaft Tavern  - Madrid, NM Dec 03 - High Country Saloon - Chama, NM Dec 04 - Adobe Bar - Taos, NM

You can find more info at Bands In Town. Hope to see you at some of these shows. Until next time...keep building mountains.

[cocooconnor]

Well, I’ve been a bit down over the last few days. I have the small victories here and there that keep me going and then I’ll lose a battle or two … which sends me into a rabbit hole of questions like “what am I doing this for” and if “when if ever will a breakthrough come” and “what if ” and on and on and on….. However , as with most artists it’s important to take a step back away from the canvas and reflect on the brush strokes that have made their mark. The canvas most visible is the farmhouse . We had the contractors come first of the week. They did the roof and have begun some interior work. While the roof didn’t really excite me the interior has. The front door has let a lot of light in. They took the scariest , dark , creepy room and given it new life. Even last night , the house was lit up and I just knew in my spirit that the farmhouse has its own energy and is pleased that we are fixing it up. In this digital era and “music city”, there is a trend to tear down old houses and replace them with something “new ” and “modern”. I find that thinking to be a shame. Quite frankly it should be against the law. Just because something is old and needs work does not make it invaluable . But in this American culture that prizes youth over wisdom and age … thus you have a thinking that permeates right down into the walls of homes and the lives of its inhabitants . Ok I’ll stop before I get on some tangent… but you can see where I’m going , right? The other canvas which I’m looking at is not so tangible at the moment and that is the canvas of music. I go to these events where I “ pitch” my songs to industry peeps. It’s really the most gut wrenching thing I subject myself too. I envy those who don’t give a rat’s pa-too-tie about this kinda stuff. I have no idea what propels me to do this on a consistent basis . It makes me question my sanity but it is something I feel like I must do. Thus I do it… and like last week have what I call a success in the fact they “selected” the song and did not “pass” on it. This week was a “pass”. Yet once again a small victory wrapping up the end of the week… 6 shows are booked for the month of December. This wonderful band Gleewood is allowing me to open some New Mexico / Colorado shows ( 4 to be exact) for them the first week of December. Then back to Tennessee for 2 more December shows and then a little break for Christmas . Since this is an it of a rant I’ll post those dates later. Thanks for listening and the purple room in the pics is the one that has gone from the “dark to light”. Still in the trailer how do u like my makeshift makeup mirror? Always building some mountain... Love,
Coco

[cocooconnor]

Video Update from the Farmhouse. Well , it's finally getting a little chilly now and those cool , frosty Tennessee mornings are keeping me thinking about the winter weather that is lying ahead. Since we have run into a huge delay by getting slapped with a red tag, I'm just trying to exercise patience and enjoy the temperate days. We have our contractors coming back this weekend and we are hoping to get the floors done and who knows what else. I'm not sure if that will help me much in the way of plumbing and such ... but it is what it is. More updates soon...

[cocooconnor]

A few months ago we moved a 1947 Spartan Travel Trailer into the yard of our little farmhouse south of Music City. We've been staying in it now since September while we make the house livable. Again , I am without the little luxuries that most of us Americans need and have access to on a daily basis. And when I say "again" I mean that we are kinda doing the same thing we did to our studio/home in Santa Fe many years ago. I was younger then and didn't have a child but I guess that proves how little we actually change. "Again" I got no plumbing , no stove, no bath, etc etc . like I did so many years ago ... However, a kind neighbor has allowed us to use his spare bathroom for showers and such. While I don't have some luxuries I got my family, electricity and "time" to continue writing songs and rehearsing for upcoming solo shows in the December around the Middle Tennessee area. Here are some dates so far: Richard's Louisiana Cafe , White's Creek TN Dec 8 7:30 pm The Acoustic Cafe , Johnson City TN Dec 16 8:00 pm Working on some more dates and will have them up soon. If you are in the area be sure to come on out.

[cocooconnor]

Proud owners of the worst property in Williamson county ... This ain't our first "remodel" rodeo or red tag :)

[cocooconnor]

And so begins “The Trailer Days ” in Nashville

[cocooconnor]

Summer of Travels, Pt. 3

The Oak Ridge Boys..need I say more. Hillsboro, MO July 22, 2016

[cocooconnor]

Summer of Travels, Pt. 2

I think I’ll just let the pics do the talkin’... Awesome photo taken by my awesome fan/friend Michelle Veronica Harmon in Potosi, MO,  Aug. 6 , 2016

[cocooconnor]

Summer of Travels, Pt. 1

I have been on the road for a few weeks now. June 6 was the first date in my little midwest tour. We had the first show at Chingawassa Days in Kansas and it was amazing. I had never been to Kansas before so I was blessed with a great experience and the people were some of the sweetest I’d ever met. The band and I stayed at a ranch in the guest house. It was perfect the family was perfect and we even got to do some rehearsals before the show.

The band , who by the way...just lemme tell you who is joining me in these travels... is simply awesome.

Billy Harvey  is playing bass and guitar. He suggested that we get Dony Wynn to hold down the beats. I feel so blessed to have such great players on this little tour. These guys have worked with the who’s who in music everyone from Patty Griffin, Robert Plant, Robert Palmer, Patti Labelle, and Brooks and Dunn. While I hate name dropping...I just had to toot a little horn about these wonderful musicians who have made themselves avail. We are having a good time and I think it’s only gonna get better.

We have made the journey from New Mexico east...and along the way I have hit up some local haunts in Nashville and Chapel Hill , NC  (see pic below) just to give me a little warm up for the next week of shows. One of those shows includes opening for  the iconic The Oak Ridge Boys.

You can check out tour dates on the various online media sources. If you are in Missouri this week...come on out. We promise good songs and singin’:)

Love from the road,

Coco

[cocooconnor]

Santa Fe Music Review, radio campaign, and other ramblings

I cannot believe that it’s been just shy of a month since the release of “Turquoise” . The CD release went really well at Center Stage Santa Fe and it’s hard to believe I haven't posted anything:/ Apologies for letting the time get away.

I actually was hoping to have more pics to post and video etc but as seems like everything takes forever. So I thought I’d share this article and review of the CD release from Santa Fe Music Reviews. 

We actually did video of the entire show but we are still in the process of editing that footage and making an EPK. So  until I have something from that..enjoy the review above. You can see some video from the show that was shot on the writer’s phone. The sound quality isn’t great ..but hey if you wanna see and hear some tunes well, they are there. 

I wanna thank my band, drummer Jim Reid, David Cragin, Taylor O’Connor, Cyrus Campbell. And especially Margaret Becker who came out all the way from Nashville and shared the stage with me for this special , intimate event. She never ceases to amaze me with her support. I am very blessed to have her in the camp. 

So onward and upward and next week it’s back to Nashville for me and the clan. I’ll be writing with some pretty heavy hitters while we are waiting on the radio promotion ...oh yes, that’s the news too. We are doing a big ‘ol radio campaign for the single “Empty In California”. It’s already seen early adds on stations in Florida, Michigan, and Oklahoma so it’s pretty exciting to see this thing go national.

If you happen to hear or have a radio station that you’d like to hear it on call ‘em up. Some things have changed in music due to modern technology but not all things. You can still request tunes on the radio:)

Until next time...love and hugs from the mountain,

Coco

[cocooconnor]

First review of the new CD “Turquoise” is in... all the way from Italy! Marco Restelli wrote a wonderful piece on my new release. I am amazed how this record is taking flight. Grazie Marco and Roots Highway Italy!

[cocooconnor]

I have decided that I cannot change those around me. The only person I can change is myself. However, by changing myself I actually do change others.