Submitted by Alchemy Arts Center
Come out to the Grange on Oct. 20 for a very special solo musical performance by Chicago singer-songwriter Fran (Maria Jacobson), as well as Orcas Islander ChellaJay (Chelsea Sherman) and San Juan Island band Shadow Basket!
On their second album, “Leaving,” Fran finds us at a crossroads of loss and possibility, born from the grief of isolation and the existential drama of a warming planet. In spite of this grief, songwriter Maria Jacobson took the solitude of the past few years to commit to seeing reality clearly. Jacobson was inspired by Alan Watts’ “Wisdom of Insecurity,” which examines the difference between belief and faith: the former inviting constriction and holding on, and the latter, being present and letting go. Jacobson sought to let go of the roles and ambitions that had previously defined her.
“I’m not the same as I was when we started,” she states plainly in her single, “God,” welcoming the “certain change” that all humans must face. During quarantine, she started taking online theology classes to understand how humans had made sense of their lives throughout time. As her curiosity blended into the stained glass-piecing of her songwriting, Jacobson began seeing everything around her as possible religions: social media, family, capitalism, individualism and science. These belief systems help people understand the world: our emptiness, our connectedness and our purpose.
“Leaving” results in amixture of instrumentals that swell and burst, yet sometimes lay completely bare, like a heartbeat or an open field. Jacobson’s voice enters each song like a vine wrapping around an idea. The songs often start with only a couple words, then pause, boldly identifying a time, season or place. She connects the listener with a familiar landscape or image, something grounding between moments of anxiety. In her single, “Winter,” a dish towel, pressed flowers, or snow covered hay becomes beautiful, but fleeting flagships: meditations on noticing and letting go.
ChellaJay is the musical moniker for local multidisciplinary artist Chelsea Sherman of Orcas Island. Her compositions often feature rhythmic, angular piano arrangements that float beneath her sweeping, intricate vocal melodies. Sherman’s set will be played on grand piano and consist of songs spanning her eight year career as a composer and touring musician.
Shadow Basket is a Dog Rock/Indie Folk band from San Juan Island, WA. “BUNGALOW,” their debut album released in Oct. 2021, features a collection of moody folk tunes and dynamically driven rock songs that evoke the essence of dreams, place-based memories and fables. Their performance brings artfully crafted sound elements, grounded harmonies and beguiling, droney jams to any live music setting.
The event takes place at the San Juan Island Grange Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. A $15 donation is encouraged to support the artists. Chella Jay plays at 7:30 p.m.; Fran plays 8:15 p.m.; Shadow Basket plays 9 p.m.
