with http://soundcloud.com/cutleri

Live at Rose in Brooklyn. 12/15/2010

Jessie Shaffer - Violin, 1st Verse Vocals
Heidi Harris - Harmonica, Tambourine, 2nd Verse Vocals
Christen Napier - Banjo, 3rd Verse Vocals

http://youtu.be/5_ZRerMtmnc

You Better Love Me, Before I Am Gone (Brian Jonestown Massacre by Cutleri)

with http://soundcloud.com/cutleri and http://soundcloud.com/mikemilazzo at Penny's Open Mic in the East Village, NYC. 2009

Plenty of Love [Live at Penny's Open Mic]

A Goodbye Song by Christen Napier 

I ain't much at singin' or playin' the slide
but please for a moment just follow the tide
and let me say that I love you
no one said life was easy
people throw decisions like stones
but the best thing honey we can do for us
is let us go
over and over we've tried to work it out
but this endless cycle we can both do without
although I'll always love you
part of you will always be sweetheart
part of you will always be my friend
but we both know our journey together
has reached the end
there's no use in lookin' for someone to blame
cause and effect they are exactly the same
and still I can't help but love you
you know I'm gonna miss our music
and I'm gonna miss your smile
supposedly time will heal all wounds
but this will take more than awhile
a story familiar, a resonant sound
even the reddest of roses may fall to the ground
but this doesn't mean I don't love you
fairy tale endings are seldom
happy ever afters are few
but one thing leads to another 
and the best always comes with the truth
so thank you for this time my darlin'
I'll always treasure it well
maybe we can meet in the next life
but who can tell?

A Goodbye Song

Did you say what I think you said that I saw
Or was it something I heard?
Just sit back, relax yourself, and take your time
I wanna hear every word

I could have sworn that you implied
I just mentioned that suggestion
But you must be mistaken 
About that certain situation
It might not happen and never should
Are you concerned that it would?
Let's be candid honey, let's be frank
I need to know what you think
I understood that this was resolved
Why you tryin to get me involved again?
You may wonder if I'm friend or foe
And I sense some kind of innuendo
Twist of hand, slight of fate
Illusive gestures insinuate
I might be right and I might be wrong
Is this a dream or just another song?

The other night and yesterday
Forget the past before it leads you astray
Tomorrow's close or is it far?
Will you be what you think you are?

- C. Napier

Did You Say What I Think You Said That I Saw

http://soundcloud.com/cutleri ...

Christen Napier - banjo 
Heidi Harris - clarinet
Jessie Shaffer - violin

The Egyptian Swing

with http://soundcloud.com/cutleri at Rose Live Music, Brooklyn, NY

Movie Star [Live at Rose]

Missing Reverie

Let’s sail on the water 
And don’t forget that wine 
Let’s sail on the water 
And we’ll forget the time 

When nightshade falls 
The stars appear 
And tell us what they know 
Let’s sail on the water 
And get lost in the flow 

Then we can sing 
The Egyptian Swing 
And dance a little too 

Let’s slide on the sunlight 
Have you ever caught a ray? 
Let’s slide on the sunlight 
It can last all through the day 

When morning comes 
The dragonflies 
Will weave a song to play 
Let’s slide on the sunlight 
Before it fades away 

When the dewdrops dry 
You shouldn’t cry 
‘Cause your tears might vanish too 

Let’s sleep in the meadow 
With flowers in our hair 
Let’s sleep in the meadow 
There’s plenty room to share 

The wind will change the colors 
And the moon will fill the sky 
Let’s sleep in the meadow 
And rest all through the night 

I can dream of you and you can dream of me 
We can hold each other tight 
Yes I can dream of you and you can dream of me 
We can hold each other tight

This track along with Cutleri's debut album, We Sink Ships, is available for download at http://cutleri.bandcamp.com/album/we-sink-ships

Christen Napier ~ lead vocals, banjo, ankle bells, chimes 
Heidi Harris ~ clarinet, candlesticks, ankle bells, supporting vocals 
Jessie Shaffer ~ violin, ankle bells, supporting vocals 
Mike Milazzo ~ mandolin, acoustic guitar 

Solipsistic breezes manipulate my senses
As I ride along a trail of past and present tenses
Repetitious windows obliterate my ego
Falling backward as I travel farther forward

The people gather 'round as I ride into the town
Where my former outlaw partner did reside
Silence settles for the stranger who is here to lay a wager
And witness the defeat of both or one

He surfaced through the shutters and no one dared to utter
A word as our eyes met across the road
My partner parallels me, our trench coats blowing fiercely
With the tension bending rooftops and the wind 

We commence the ceremony counting backwards from eleven
And spin to race the echos of the shots
Palindromic quadrille with a dash of thyme and lemon
And fragrance sipping mighty cups of swedine salt raccoon

As the haze of dust had settled, I knew the draw had ended
For my former outlaw partner lay dead upon the ground
Upon my steed I mounted and rode swiftly from the town
Where the wager had been settled and I had won


<i>A recording from when I was in The Fake French Cowboys with Jon Dusseau... www.myspace.com/thefakefrenchcowboys</i>

The West

Improvisation with Tem Noon one September evening in my empty home in Clyde, Kansas before moving in...

Tabla ~ http://soundcloud.com/tem-noon
Djembe ~ http://soundcloud.com/c-napier

Tabla & Djembe

Improvisation with Tem Noon one September evening in my empty home in Clyde, Kansas before moving in...

Tabla ~ http://soundcloud.com/tem-noon
Banjo ~ http://soundcloud.com/c-napier

Tabla & Banjo 2

Chatting with http://soundcloud.com/tem-noon one September evening in my empty home in Clyde, Kansas before moving in...

It's not your fault

Tabla & Banjo 1

Christen Napier is originally a visual artist and her approach to music has always been quite visual as well. Being self-taught, she has put an experimental twist on traditional styles. She enjoys playing many instruments (including a 1920's Royal typewriter) but her main instrument is the banjo. Lately she has been immersing herself in Celtic music and playing the banjolin.

Christen is a member of the chamber folk trio of ladies, www.soundcloud.com/Cutleri. She also plans to continue banjo/tabla collaborations with percussionist www.soundcloud.com/Tem-noon.  Most recently she has been performing with www.soundcloud.com/knife-throwers-assistance, based in NYC. But that's a while ago now...

Christen is also a songwriter. Her debut solo album has been "in progress" forever. Maybe one day it will get recorded.

Her most important love and inspiration is her 7 year old daughter Maisie who is a budding musician herself.  Collaborations are on the horizon...

Christen Napier

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