When authors and editors write music together

http://thegatelessgate.bandcamp.com/album/fifth-season

Reposted from 2015: listen to SPRING 

My wonderful editor, Allister Thompson, and I have made an album, Fifth Season. You'll find seven mellow, warm, inviting instrumental pieces, good listening for a cold winter night.

Allister did all the work, including the suggestion of putting this album together.  I provided the composition and acoustic guitar (okay, I did some of the work), and he added his signature vocals, gorgeous electric guitar and keyboards to create this beautiful collaboration which makes me incredibly joyful. I've been so lucky in my friendship with Allister, a brilliant editor and a wonderful musician (and all-round nice guy).

Please give a listen, download (free or pay what you wish), and enjoy: Fifth Season, by Philippa Dowding and Allister Thompson.

OCT/2017 update: Album Number two released! Please enjoy Birches with our gratitude.

Songs from Birch Island is streaming on Spotify!

 

It's a first for me, but I'm really pleased to say that all of my instrumental guitar music from the past 7 years is now streaming on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Apple Music and probably wherever you listen to music.

Here's the Spotify link: Songs from Birch Island

Songs from Birch Island is a compilation of all three of my guitar albums, a total of 26 short, jubilant pieces, in collaboration with Allister Thompson, who is also the editor of my books. 

Or find  Songs from Birch Island on YouTube.

My favourite tune from Songs from Birch Island is probably All the Stars (at least today). But that could change! I hope you'll listen and choose your own favourite. The songs are inspired by a wide variety of guitarists from John Fahey to Bruce Cockburn, from Django Reinhardt to Adrianne Lenker. The beautiful compilation cover art is Birches in Autumn, paper collage by Baye Hunter. Check out more of her lovely art at bayehunter.com.

And someone has asked me if there is a particular Birch Island? There is (mine is in Algonquin Park), but I think most Canadians have a favourite lake with a Birch Island on it, so this music tries to capture that Canadian ubiquity: hearing music through the birch trees wherever you may be.

I'm delighted to bring you this compilation, especially right now during the pandemic. Creating is a great release, artists have it luckiest at this time, I think. I hope you'll listen to Songs from Birch Island, and gain a little calm in the storm.

Update! You can also listen to Songs from Birch Island on CD!  If you'd like a CD, contact me via email (contact info in the sidebar at right). 

More about my music on this blog.

Songs from Birch Island is a compilation of
the following albums and one single:

The Crow's Nest, April/2021
10 songs, click link to listen on Bandcamp

Cover art by Shawna Daigle

Birches, October, 2017
8 songs, including me singing on Moonlight
Click to listen on Bandcamp

Cover art, Birches in Summer, by Baye Hunter

Fifth Season, October 2015
7 songs on Bandcamp

Cover art, Lake Nipissing, photo by Allister Thompson

The Gargoyle Shuffle, April, 2019
Single on Bandcamp

Cover art by Emma Dolan

Sequined Mountain Ladies

Birches in Summer, by Baye Hunter www.bayehunter.com

I do two things reasonably well in life. One is write books, the other is play guitar.

Listen to: Sequined Mountain Ladies

In case you missed a blog post from last month, I have a new guitar album out, with my long-time editor and musical collaborator, Allister Thompson. This is our second album, the first was Fifth Season (Nov, 2015).

The new album is called Birches, and is graced with cover art by local Toronto artist, Baye Hunter.

Sequined Mountain Ladies is my (current) favourite piece. Enjoy!

Florida star trails, Cornwall coastline, New England spring, Wales time lapse ...

Fifth Season, guitar music by P. Dowding/A. Thompson

A few months ago, my musical collaborator, Allister Thompson (who also happens to be my editor), and I posted our new guitar abum, Fifth Season, on the Free Music Archive. Listen here.

Since then, five people from across the U.S. and Europe, have used our music to create cool artistic videos. One of them, the Florida Star Trails video, won a photography award!
Take a look at this YouTube link to see Artistic Videos, where all five are listed.

Or here they are individually:

1. Florida Star Trails
2. New England Spring
3. Wales coast Time Lapse 4. Cornwall flowers
5. Banished, Gamer Video

This makes me pretty happy. Sharing these musical worlds is always fun!

Spring made me write this music

Pete and Courage walking into the Spring Sunset, from Myles & the Monster Outside
Courtesy Shawna Daigle, www;jademade.ca

Certain times of year make me produce creative things at quite a clip. For me, winter is the time when I spend a lot of time reading and I think probably refueling the creativity cells, but as soon the light changes and I start to hear birds in the trees and see the tip of branches change from black to red ... well you get the picture.

Here is a guitar piece I finally recorded yesterday, called Spring, (You can download it free if you like.) It's the first of a four piece guitar instrumental called Wheel, about seasons and change and such. There will be one song for each turn of the seasonal wheel.

The beguiling illustration shows two of my characters walking into the spring sunset. It's from my forthcoming book, Myles and the Monster Outside (Dundurn, Sept 2015), and is graciously provided by the very talented illustrator for that book, Shawna Daigle.

Spring is here!