Live demo recorded on November 22, 2021

Violin: Elise Boeur

Lyrics:

Be brave and believe
You're not the only without the answers 
We're all wading through the fog 
Trying to hold onto something
Everything is impermanent 

Facing the fact 
that I won't live forever 
reminds me of now
Wasting more time 
living in fear
or complacency
I won't be deceived
by my mind anymore 

Broken; I'm not broken
Who has stolen my motivation? 
Thrown it to the soldiers
who were moulded 
by the wars inside my head
Let them rest
Let them rest 

Be here where you are
Don't let your thoughts 
wander too far
from now
We're only bound
by thoughts and doubts
The truth is:
All these things are projections 

Broken; I'm not broken
I'm unfolding these proclamations
Stolen from the golden books of old
and the prophets who made them
Trying to
find the answers to
the unknowable

I'll be brave and believe
I'm not the only one without the answers

Soldiers (rehearsal demo)

I wrote this song in March 2020, around the beginning of a huge shift in the world at large, as well as my own personal universe. It was the first time in many years that I was given the chance to really slow down - and, slow down I did. I got rid of my social media accounts, and spent my days diving deeply into my own psyche/body. I was living alone, and spent my time doing yoga, meditating, dancing, writing, creating, reading and exploring my inner world. I began to develop a deep craving to grow a garden (an inclination, I believe, that spoke to a deeper craving for a specific type of lifestyle). This song spawned from the garden dream, and grew into a musing on reality, perception, meaning, healing, freedom, presence and purpose. 

This version is a live-off-the-floor demo from a rehearsal with Elise Boeur (violin) in November of 2021. I manipulated the sound of our recording after the fact to add some spaciousness & a psychedelic quality, and appreciate the melding of our imperfect human performances with kaleidoscopic electronic effects. 

Lyrics:
I just wanna grow a garden
in my backyard
by a tree I can climb
and see the holy halo 
of a planet
far away
radiating 
towards all the atoms
underneath the skin I wear
Doesn't matter what I do with my time
if I find a way to be happy

I just wanna look at the clouds
with my back against the ground
Look what I found:
it's everything
and nothing
illusion, 
energy,
is it a dream?
(this world that I see)
Can I shape reality?
Can I be free?
Can I be free?

Does it matter 
what is real,
what's illusion,
in your head
there is no difference
between thought and form
It's been proven:
even the scientists said 
that what we see in our minds
has an equal affect
as the objective external world
They're the same:
we wire our brains

These voices keep reverberating
through my brain
I know they're all liars,
bullies,
I am free
But it's not easy to shed old skin
It's a journey
It's a steep mountain to climb
How do I slow down the time?
How do I stay in the moment?

Why am I always rushing 
through everything?
Always drowning in things to do
All my lists are infinite
How can I quit
when I've been taught to achieve?
That my value as a human
is proven by what I produce
By the things that I create
or in the face I show the world
But nobody can see behind skin

I just wanna grow a garden
in my backyard
by a tree
slowly growing
patiently
from a seed
and everything in between
These moments no one sees
It's only me and my body

Garden (rehearsal demo)

About 3 1/2 years ago, I began recording my first full-length album. With 10 songs that I'd written over a 3-year period for harp & voice, I teamed up with my talented producer pal Scott Peterson, who used his arranging wizardry to create beautiful, lush sonic worlds for these songs to swim in.

After a couple years of global madness that put things to an unexpected halt, we are finally ready to release this body of work into the world. 

Here is a little teaser, with wee snippets of the songs on this album :)

Rhythm Of The Sunlight (album teaser)

Birds (rehearsal demo)

Described by audiences as 'other-worldly' and 'transcendent', Kathryn’s songs interweave melismatic melodies with soaring lyricism, evoking flavours of Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush. Accompanying herself on the harp, Kathryn explores the intersections between folk song tradition and mystical music - making subtle observations of the human experience, and musing on reality, perception, meaning, healing, and purpose.

Kathryn Merriam